Sword Art Online: Twin Memory
by The Blue Time Ranger
Summary: Nick Kelly, like many others, was excited for the launch of Sword Art Online, only to have his dreams become nightmares when he is one of ten thousand global players trapped inside the game. But for Nick, hope exists in the Konno sisters Aiko and Yuuki, and together, this unlikely trio will battle their way up the Floating Castle Aincrad in hopes of one day escaping the game...
1. One Fateful Day

It all started in the long distant past.

As was told in the dark elven legends, the world of old was divided into many different lands. The Forest Kingdom Kales'Oh, the Dark Kingdom Lyusula, the human Alliance of the Nine Kingdoms, the underground dwarf realm, and various other groups.

Though skirmishes and fights did break out periodically, the land still enjoyed a time of relative peace.

Until one day, for no explainable reason, a hundred different regions from around the world were sliced from the earth and summoned into the sky, stacked one by one by one until they formed a massive floating fortress, one hundred floors tall.

This fortress, which would eventually come to be known as the Floating Castle Aincrad, never again would return to the earth, and the magic that allowed the old civilization to flourish was lost, and with them, so fell the nine kingdoms of man.

Most of the towns elected to maintain themselves, and the floors all lost contact with one another.

Time passed, and eventually, tales and legends of what had been called the Great Separation were still told among the two remaining elf races, the only people whose kingdoms were still intact.

Wow.

That's one heck of a story for a VRMMO.

But hey, if it gets us deeper into the world of the game, I'm _definitely_ not complaining.

Oh, sorry, where are my manners?

My name is Nick Kelly.

I'm fifteen years old, American (obviously, what is this, anime?), and I'm a gamer at heart.

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer, though. Those people are in a league far beyond me that I'll never reach.

But, like many gamers all across the world, I was unbelievably hyped for the launch of the world's first virtual reality video game console, the NerveGear.

I had gotten my own NerveGear as a late birthday present, since it didn't launch until May of 2022, and even though most of the initial offerings were kinda... _eh_, I was hooked on the possibilities that VR gaming could offer us with the NerveGear's FullDive technology.

And then...

November 6th, 2022.

This was supposed to be a momentous day for gamers.

The advent of the first true VRMMO.

The NerveGear's "killer app", as it were.

Today was the launch date of Sword Art Online.

* * *

(Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets.)

**The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present...  
_Sword Art Online: Twin Memory  
_**Story Created:** December 7th, 2018  
**Story Rated:** T for Teen

**And Now, the Main Cast  
**_Kosuke Toriumi _and _Troy Baker_ as **Nick Kelly**  
_Aoi Yuki_ and _Erica Mendez_ as **Yuuki / Yuuki Konno**  
_Megumi Han _and _Caitlin Glass_ as **Ran / Aiko Konno**  
_Haruka Tomatsu_ and _Cherami Leigh-Kuhn_ as **Asuna / Asuna Yuuki**

**Story Summary:** A new story is about to begin. Nick Kelly, like many others, was excited for the launch of Sword Art Online, only to have his dreams become a nightmare when he is one of ten thousand global players trapped within the world of the game by its creator, Akihiko Kayaba. But for Nick, hope exists in the form of the Konno sisters Aiko and Yuuki, who have decided to fight against Kayaba's ambitions and never let fate defeat them. Together, this unlikely trio will battle their way up the floors of the Floating Castle Aincrad in hopes of one day being able to escape the death trap that Sword Art Online has become for them...

**Author's Note:** All right, it's time for another journey! This one was inspired by a line from Yuuki at the end of my previous SAO story, Memory Rosario re:, where Yuuki imagined what events would be like if she and Nick were, say, trapped in Sword Art Online. This story is the result of that. Unlike Memory Rosario re:, this story is a much larger AU affair, where Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko are all fifteen, Yuuki and Aiko don't suffer from AIDS, and the events of SAO will play out a little differently. I'm probably not gonna diverge TOO far from canon, but things may change as the story goes on. My mind is like that sometimes...

**Theme Song Notes:** Since I can't post the opening and ending sequences anymore so I won't get my stuff axed, the opening theme is "Over" by Little Glee Monster (the second opening theme to Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) and the ending theme is "Four" by FAKY (the fourth ending theme to Black Clover).

**And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: **I, The Blue Time Ranger, do not own anything related to Sword Art Online or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Reki Kawahara, A-1 Pictures, and Aniplex USA. Anything I do not own, I am just borrowing for the story with every intent of returning them when I'm done. The only things I DO own are any characters and places created by yours truly for the story. And, I do not intend to infringe on any copyrights, only to entertain my readers. Besides, if I _did_ own Sword Art Online, which I _don't_, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 1: One Fateful Day

Left, right, diagonal, stab, thrust, parry. Nick continued to test his swing as he walked through the Meadow of Beginnings, still getting acclimated to the fact that he was actually controlling his avatar with his own body.

The NerveGear was an incredible piece of technology, he'd decided not too long into his first dive into Sword Art Online. After all, he'd grown up during the times when games were mostly things you played on a television or computer, and VR efforts were relatively low-key compared to... well, _this_.

But with the NerveGear's FullDive technology that allowed a person to immerse all five of their senses into the game itself, Nick figured that gaming had just taken a huge step forward.

But that wasn't why he was here.

Nick realized he had some grinding to do. He had watched some people's footage of Sword Art Online during the beta-test period, since Nick had only gotten his NerveGear by the time the beta was long over.

If he was being honest with himself, Nick had never really minded grinding when it came to RPGs. He knew that some people despised the long and sometimes tedious process, but Nick figured, if you needed to do it, it had to be done.

Besides, Nick had played far too many RPGs in his life to understand that grinding was usually a necessary evil, especially against later bosses and challenges.

_I'm STILL salty about that beef gate in Kingdom Hearts III,_ Nick thought as he continued to swing his sword, a basic Steel Saber. _All those high-level Nobodies... what were they THINKING?!_

Nick's concentration was broken as he noticed a Frenzy Boar approaching him.

_Huh. Normally you have to provoke them to get them to rush you,_ Nick thought, only now noticing another pack of Frenzy Boars attacking some other nearby players. _Maybe this one broke off from the pack when he noticed me. Eh, let's just cut him down and get on with it._

As the Frenzy Boar came closer, Nick raised his Steel Saber and got it into the motion for his first Sword Skill. As the Frenzy Boar lunged, Nick made his move, dashing forward to meet his enemy and slashing three times, twice in a spiraling motion around his left and right shoulders, then a third strike in an upwards arc.

This did the needed damage and caused the Frenzy Boar to explode into a small cloud of polygons.

"Boom," Nick quipped as he received the XP for that kill.

Noticing that at least five other Frenzy Boars were charging him, Nick just sighed and readied himself.

About a minute later, the whole pack of boars had been eliminated. Nick had taken a cheap shot from one while he'd been focused on the others, but was otherwise no worse for wear.

_When that had happened, I kept on reminding myself that despite how real this all felt, at the end of the day, it was still just a game. Even if I borked up and got myself killed, I'd just respawn back in the Town of Beginnings a few seconds later._

_...in hindsight, I really had no idea how wrong I was at that moment in time..._

"Hey, thanks, man!" one of the nearby players shouted, waving to Nick.

"No problem! Always happy to help!" Nick responded.

By the time the sun had set on the Meadow of Beginnings, Nick had finally reached level three, having found a way to provoke multiple Frenzy Boars to him and keep the streak going.

"I think that's enough for today," Nick sighed. "I am _wiped_. Besides, mom's probably wondering why I'm not downstairs for dinner right on the nose, especially since she's making her famous bacon dumplings tonight..."

But before Nick could start his return trip to the town and fantasize about the delicious meal his mother was no doubt preparing, a system window popped up in front of Nick.

"What the heck? What does _automatic transfer _mean?" Nick quipped before rings of light suddenly surrounded him, teleporting him back to the main plaza of the Town of Beginnings, where thousands of other players were already waiting, even more still being beamed in by whatever had brought him here.

As Nick began to wonder what (or who) had brought him here, the sky suddenly turned an eerie shade of red as a figure in a large red cloak descended from the heavens.

"What's that?!" a female player gasped.

"Don't worry, babe, it's just part of the opening ceremony," a male player replied.

Deep down, Nick had a bad feeling. _Why do I not believe that?_ Nick thought.

"Attention, all players of Sword Art Online," the figure proclaimed. "I humbly welcome you... to my world."

"Wait, 'my world'? What's that mean?" Nick stated.

"As of this moment, I am in control of this entire world," the figure explained. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba."

_Wait, Kayaba? Creator of the NerveGear?!_ Nick thought, that strange feeling from earlier suddenly growing more ominous to him.

"I'm sure that by now, you have all noticed something very important is missing from your menu," Kayaba stated. "The log out button."

Almost on instinct, Nick swiped his right hand to open his player menu, and noticed, with a still-growing sense of dread, that Kayaba was speaking the truth. The logout button that had been there merely an hour ago was no longer present.

"I wish to inform you that this is not a defect or a glitch in the system," Kayaba bellowed. "This was the way that Sword Art Online was meant to be played."

"Please tell me you're joking," a slightly older-looking samurai quipped.

"You can no longer log out of SAO, nor can your NerveGear be removed by outside entry," Kayaba stated quite clearly. "Should any of these methods be attempted, the microwave signal inside of the NerveGear will fry your brain and subsequently kill you."

Now the crowd was starting to get a little restless, many of them wondering if such a thing was even possible, and some even expressing disbelief that Kayaba was telling the truth.

"However, it seems that multiple families and friends have already attempted doing so," Kayaba continued. "Which means that two-hundred and thirteen players are no longer with us. They have been wiped from both Aincrad and the real world."

Multiple screens flashed to life around Kayaba's avatar, showing news reports of everything that had already transpired. "News and media have been covering this since its beginning, so I can safely assume that such an incident will not happen again, allowing the rest of you to focus on clearing the game."

_And there it was. What I heard next was most likely where all of this began._

"There are some things that you must know," Kayaba explained. "As of right now, it is no longer possible to revive someone in the game. If your HP ever drops to zero, your avatar will be permanently deleted from the system..."

Nick unknowingly braced himself for what he knew was coming.

"...and the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

In his disbelief, Nick reached for the handle of his sword.

"There is only one way for you to leave Sword Art Online, and that is to clear the game," Kayaba stated. "Right now, you are on floor one. Defeat the boss within the floor's labyrinth, and you will be allowed to advance to the next floor. If you can defeat the final boss that awaits on floor one hundred, you will clear the game, and everyone who remains will be allowed to log out. I give my word on this. Also, I have placed an item in your inventory that I believe will be useful to you."

Nick checked his item menu for the item in question, a "Hand Mirror", and looked into it...

...only to see himself.

His real face.

Nick looked around in shock as the other players were forcibly reverted to their real-life appearances.

Despite everything, Nick still wasn't sure why the creator of the game would do something like this.

"I suspect we're about to find out," Nick muttered. And he was correct.

"By now, I am sure that many of you are asking yourselves a simple question: why?" Kayaba stated. "Why would Akihiko Kayaba, inventor of the NerveGear and developer of Sword Art Online, do something like this? Ultimately, I had a simple goal in mind. I created Sword Art Online so that I may control a world that I have designed. And now, I have achieved that goal."

Kayaba's avatar spread its arms out wide. "This concludes the tutorial phase, and officially marks the launch of Sword Art Online," Kayaba proclaimed. "Players, I wish you the best of luck."

And with everything he needed to say out there, Kayaba's avatar dissolved and left the players in complete silence.

That silence didn't last long, however, as the players began to panic and freak out, Kayaba's words having finally sunk in for them.

Nick just stood there, his fists clenched, as he slowly absorbed what he'd been told.

This was their new reality now. And nothing would allow them to escape it.

Left alone with his thoughts, Nick walked back out towards the Meadow of Beginnings, realizing that he had to do more grinding if he hoped to have any chance of surviving this death game.

Despite his fear of the worst coming to pass someday, Nick was a fighter by nature. If he was given a challenge to complete, he would complete that challenge by any means. He wasn't a quitter.

And he sure as hell wasn't going to allow this game to just do as it pleased with his life.

The sound of crying caught his attention, and he looked to the east to see two girls walking out from the town, one of them clearly supporting the other, who was crying.

The two girls appeared to be about Nick's age. The crying girl had long, purplish-black hair and red eyes. The other girl looked similar, only her hair was shorter, about shoulder-length.

"Aiko, what are we going to do?" the crying girl asked.

"Relax, okay?" Aiko Konno responded. "I promise I'm not going anywhere, Yuuki."

"But... what if..." Yuuki Konno gasped. Clearly, she'd been shaken by Kayaba's words. "What if something happens to me?! You'll be all alone!"

"If that happens, I'd kill myself, too," Aiko proclaimed. "I'd rather be with you in death than leave one of us here to rot in despair."

Despite her fears, Yuuki couldn't help but crack a smile. "Why do you always make the worst sayings sound so positive, sis?" Yuuki asked.

"Mom always said I have a knack for that," Aiko giggled.

In their shared reverie, neither of the Konno siblings noticed a Dire Wolf bearing down on them, and that spurred Nick into motion.

_No way in hell am I letting them die!_ Nick shouted, drawing his Steel Saber. _You hear me, Sword Art Online?! You won't get away with this!_

Just as the Dire Wolf lunged to take a bite out of Yuuki, Nick leaped towards it and savaged it with another Spiral Cut, dropping its health rapidly.

Though it was left with about a tenth of its health, Nick still kept his sword ready as the Dire Wolf prepared to retaliate.

"Oh, what, you want some more, wolf boy?!" Nick challenged. The Dire Wolf rushed forward and leaped, but despite the panic of the Konno sisters, Nick was faster on the draw, ripping forward with one final slash that eliminated the Dire Wolf.

As the Dire Wolf exploded into glowing polygons, Nick sheathed his sword and turned back to Aiko and Yuuki. "Are you two all right?" Nick asked.

"We are now, thanks to you," Aiko quipped.

"I can imagine you were pretty shook up because of what Kayaba told us," Nick stated.

"It was such a shock to the system, being told that this is basically our new reality," Yuuki replied. "I didn't know what to do at first, honestly."

"But I promised Yuu that we wouldn't let this world beat us," Aiko proclaimed. "Though she was pretty upset at the thought of something happening to one of us, which is why I was comforting her."

"And... well, I'm pretty sure this is obvious, but thank you so, _so_ much for protecting us," Yuuki giggled.

"While I may be just as scared as pretty much everyone else in this game, I _refuse_ to just lay down and submit to fate," Nick proclaimed. "That's not who I am."

Aiko, in response, just laughed at the bombastic way Nick had phrased it.

"Was it... really that cheesy?" Nick asked.

"A little," Yuuki replied.

"But it's nice that someone around here has that kind of conviction," Aiko quipped.

"Hey, why don't you come with me?" Nick offered. "I'm sure it'd be better to be in a group, considering..."

"Much as I'd love to, I wanna start training Yuu here," Aiko admitted. "She's a natural at games, but since this is basically our reality now, we've gotta be extra-careful about how we go about this."

"But I hope we can meet again someday!" Yuuki proclaimed. "You stay alive until that day, got it?"

Nick raised his hand to fist bump with Yuuki, thus sealing that promise.

As the three players parted ways to do their own thing, Nick couldn't help but wonder if he ever _would _see them again. After all, with Sword Art Online transformed into a game of life and death, no one's safety was assured.

Nick shook his head to clear his train of thought as he leaped to bisect another Dire Wolf with a jumping slash. Now wasn't the time for such thoughts.

Sometime later, on December 2nd, 2022, Nick glanced around the city of Tolbana, trying to find where exactly the meeting was taking place.

Eventually, he found a large crowd seated in a large amphitheater-style room close to the fountain at the center of town, and found his own place to sit while waiting for whoever had called them all here to start with his spiel.

_Well... it's been about a month since the 'game' officially began. In that time... two thousand people have died. The worst part is, no one's been able to clear the first floor._

A blue-eyed, blue-haired knight wearing bronze armor stepped forward, catching everyone's attention.

_Today, here in Tolbana, we're finally gonna have an official meeting to figure out exactly how we're going to defeat the boss of the first floor. Here's hoping we can actually DO that before this game has the last laugh..._

"All right, everyone, let's get started!" the knight proclaimed to the entire crowd. "Thanks for coming, all of you. My name is Diavel, and I like to consider myself a Knight."

Despite the serious nature of the meeting, everyone present was stone-faced at Diavel's joke.

_Dude, really?_ Nick thought.

"E-even though there's no job system in the game!" Diavel backpedaled. "It's just a joke, people. Now, on to why we're actually here."

Diavel composed himself before continuing. "Today, my party found the boss room at the top of the floor one labyrinth," Diavel stated, earning surprised gasps from many of the players. "We must, I repeat, we _must_ defeat this boss and reach the second floor, so all of the players waiting in the Town of Beginnings will see that it is indeed possible for us to defeat this wretched game. Everyone here today will share that duty, understand? With that out of the way, let's begin planning."

Nick listened as Diavel explained that everyone should form parties of up to six players so they would all stand a better chance.

"Wait a minute, I don't really know anybody here," Nick realized. "Crap, who am _I _gonna party with?"

As luck would have it, someone decided to tap him on the shoulder the instant he'd finished his thought.

Nick turned around to see who was addressing him, only to meet gazes with two familiar faces.

It was Yuuki and Aiko, the Konno twins that he'd saved on launch day.

And it seemed they recognized him as well, considering how Yuuki's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Well, well, it seems like we meet again, mister mysterious savior," Aiko teased. "It's been a while, huh?"

Yuuki was now wearing obsidian chest armor, a bluebottle violet tunic and a windswept skirt of the same color beneath the armor, with a thin, black sheath hanging on her waist.

Aiko was wearing much the same, except her armor was more a shade of deep purple.

"Hey, now that I think about it, I never got your name," Yuuki quipped.

"Oh, sorry, I guess it slipped my mind," Nick stated. "My name's Nick Kelly, player name Makoto, but I don't really go by that anymore because... well, I'm sure you know why."

"And we're the Konno sisters," Aiko proclaimed. "I'm Aiko and this is Yuuki. We never really had time to decide on player names, honestly."

"It definitely looks like you guys have gotten a lot stronger since that day," Nick quipped.

"Yep!" Yuuki giggled. "I'm at level 10!"

"I'm level 11," Aiko stated. "How about you, Nick?"

"Level 11, same as you," Nick answered.

"So... um, I guess what we're asking is... you wanna team up with us?" Yuuki asked.

"You're really the only people around here I know, so why the heck not?" Nick teased.

"YAY!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Hold on just a second here!" a lone figure proclaimed, catching everyone's attention. Aiko simply grimaced, as there was something about this guy she didn't seem to like.

"My name is Kibaou, and there's something I want to say before we tackle the boss," Kibaou stated. "There's some of you here that have to apologize to the two thousand players who've died!"

"Wait, Kibaou, do you mean the beta testers?" Diavel gasped.

"You bet your _ass_ I am!" Kibaou growled, flailing his arms like a madman. "The day this damn game got started, those freakin' beta guys ditched the beginners and just disappeared on us. They took all of the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, just so they _alone_ could get stronger while ignoring the rest of us!"

"Is this guy making any sense to you, Nick?" Aiko asked.

"Not a lick," Nick answered. "I wasn't in the beta myself, but I knew some people who were, and they were nice people. And _of course_ people are gonna find easy spots to train. They'll _need_ to if they want to survive."

"I'm sure some of you here were in the beta!" Kibaou continued. "Here's what they should do. Those bastards need to get on their knees and apologize, then give up all the items and money they've been hoarding like selfish jerks. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us, and neither should they!"

Nick quickly decided that he didn't like the murmurs in the crowd, as if they were actually contemplating a witch hunt of the beta testers.

"Um, Nick? Should we say something?" Yuuki asked.

However, someone actually beat Yuuki to the punch, standing up from his spot and speaking out. "Can I say something? My name is Agil," the man stated. "Tell me if I'm hearing you right, Kibaou. You're saying that so many beginner players died because the beta testers didn't take care of them. Thus, they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation. Am I right?"

"Y-yeah, that's _exactly _what I'm saying!" Kibaou shouted. Agil responded by accessing his inventory and retrieving what appeared to be an information book.

"You got this guidebook, right? It was provided for free at the item shop," Agil explained.

"Of course I did," Kibaou retorted. "Why is that important?"

"Be_cause_," Aiko cut in. "It has a bunch of tips and tricks that are gonna be very useful if we want to survive this game. You know who wrote that guidebook for us? _The beta testers._"

Aiko knew this because she and Yuuki had studied the book nearly nonstop for a whole week, making sure they knew everything they could to survive Sword Art Online.

"Did _any _of you read the guidebook?" Agil asked.

"...not yet..."

"Why would I real what's essentially a _manual_?!"

"It's too long, and I have things to do!"

"Okay, so I'm not going to point fingers at anyone specifically, but just remember that _every player_ had equal access to this information, and still, many of them died," Agil explained. "So don't scapegoat the beta testers simply because they knew more than us. That's why they made these guides."

Kibaou prepared to retort, but had to admit the point there, and so sat back down in his seat, conceding the argument.

With that problem officially settled, Diavel continued his explanations about the first floor boss, as stated in the beta testers' guidebook. According to the beta testers, the boss was known as Illfang the Kobold Lord, was guarded by its minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels, wielded an axe and a buckler, and would switch his weapon to a Talwar when on its last legs.

"Yeesh, this guy sounds _nuts_," Yuuki stated.

"Hey, as long as we stick together, we'll be fine," Aiko replied. "You and me, sis. And yes, Nick, that includes you now."

"I'll do my best to not disappoint," Nick teased.

"Well, do you guys wanna zip back to the Meadow for a bit and get some last-minute level-grinding in?" Yuuki asked. When she didn't get an immediate response from Nick, she bent down and glanced at Nick, who appeared to be lost in thought.

_What must they be thinking right now?_ Nick thought. _Are they worried about me?_

"Um, hello? Aincrad to Nick?" Yuuki proclaimed, startling Nick when she decided to get right in his face.

"U-um, y-yeah, I'm... I'm fine," Nick responded.

"Your stuttering says otherwise," Aiko countered.

"...I'm just worried about my family," Nick answered. "I'm pretty damn sure I'm not the only one who's got family back in reality, just waiting and waiting, not even sure if their kids are going to make it out of this virtual deathtrap with their lives intact..."

"Hey, we're all like that, I'm sure," Aiko stated. "Yuuki was trying for hours to call mom when we first got trapped in here."

"It hurt, honestly, not being able to talk to them and let them know we're okay," Yuuki admitted. "But that's also when Aiko and I decided that we're not going to let Sword Art Online defeat us. We're gonna get out of here and see our families again, no matter _how long_ it takes us to finish this game!"

And just like that, Nick felt much better. _And Yuuki said Aiko's the one who has a way with words,_ Nick thought._ But they're right. If I constantly needle myself over these things, I'm not gonna make any headway in getting this damn game cleared._

As Aiko and Yuuki talked about random things, Nick wondered if he could consider them friends just yet.

_Anyways, two days later after another strategy meeting, we all managed to make our way through the labyrinth with relatively little trouble. All that remained was the boss itself. Well, time to show the naysayers that we can beat this game._

"Well, everyone, this is it!" Diavel proclaimed. "It's time to show the people trapped in this game that we will _never_ stop fighting! Remember the strategy we discussed, and we shall be victorious!"

"Time to go all out, huh?" Yuuki giggled.

"Yeah, you didn't get to do much fighting, did you, sis?" Aiko replied.

"I'm ready for these things," Yuuki responded, proudly spinning her sword in her hands. "Just let one of those sentinel boys get his greasy claws on me!"

"But... you _do_ remember our own plan, right, Yuu?" Aiko asked.

"Of course," Yuuki answered. "If my health ever drops to half, I'll switch out for you, sis."

"And I'll watch your backs," Nick stated, brandishing his new Anneal Blade. "If any of the Sentinels want to try a sneak attack, they'll have to get by me first."

"Well said, buddy!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Let's beat this boss!"

When everyone in the raid party had agreed on a plan of attack, Diavel pushed the gateway to the boss room open.

And standing there waiting for them was a rather imposing monster, a two-meter tall creature with red fur, bloodthirsty copper-red eyes, and a large bone axe in one hand and a leather shield.

Illfang the Kobold Lord, the boss of Aincrad's first floor.

"Have at ye, monster! You don't belong in this world!" Yuuki proclaimed.

"...really, Yuu?" Aiko sighed.

"H-Hey, it seemed appropriate!" Yuuki sputtered.

"CHARGE!" Diavel shouted, and the raid party rushed into battle.

Illfang naturally galloped out to meet them, swinging its axe and attempting to scatter the raid party.

"Remember what we discussed!" Diavel exclaimed. "Groups C and D will handle the boss, and Group E will keep the Sentinels off of our backs! The tanks and supports know what to do!"

Illfang lunged forward with a swift stab attack, only for Aiko to swing her own weapon, a Wind Fleuret rapier, to parry the attack as best she could. The axe seemingly overpowered Aiko's rapier and pushed her backwards, but she thankfully didn't suffer any damage.

"Always use what works," Aiko proclaimed.

While Illfang was recovering from its attack, Yuuki took point and charged in to attack, while Nick stayed close to her and deflected the attacks of any Sentinels that dodged Group E and attempted to strike them.

Yuuki wasted no time in attacking with her new Sword Skill, Savage Cross, in which she sliced downwards, then did another slash across the first slice, leaving a crude, cross-shaped line of damage on Illfang's body.

"Boo-ya!" Yuuki giggled, only to see Illfang's axe flying towards her. Nick reacted quickly, leaping towards Yuuki to shove them both to the ground, just in time for Illfang's axe to sail harmlessly over where they'd just been.

"Oof, thanks, Nick," Yuuki proclaimed once they'd picked themselves up. "I don't wanna know if they count a neck slash as a lethal hit in this game."

"Thank me later, Yuuki," Nick responded. "He's coming back!"

Many more members of Groups C and D planted themselves in front of Illfang as it charged, with a Tank player taking a wide slash from Illfang's axe in order to give the attackers time to strike, leaving many long gashes on Illfang's body.

Before long, Illfang's first health bar, of a total of four, emptied completely. In response, Illfang roared and summoned a fresh trio of Sentinels to replace the ones that had just been killed.

"So, I guess it's gonna spawn a fresh set every time we drain a bar?" Yuuki quipped.

"Looks that way," Nick responded. "Look sharp, you guys, it's coming back for another round!"

Aiko took point this time, even as Illfang got in the stance to use a powerful jumping slash. She'd seen this during the first phase, after all. Aiko smirked and gestured to Illfang, hoping it'd take the bait.

To her satisfaction, Illfang responded by jumping through the air and attempted to bisect Aiko with a jumping axe strike. Aiko, in response, rolled to the side before the axe came down, the bone weapon only cutting the air where she had just been.

With Illfang stuck, Aiko went to town, landing multiple stabs on Illfang's exposed flank, while Yuuki cut down another Sentinel as it tried to stab Aiko.

"I got ya, sis!" Yuuki proclaimed.

Thankfully, the group's strategy seemed to be working, and it didn't take much longer to bring Illfang's health down to its final bar.

"We're almost there, everyone!" Diavel proclaimed. "We have it on the ropes, now let's win this!"

Illfang simply roared in response, reaching back to draw his Talwar, as the beta testers had explained.

However...

"H-Hey, Yuuki?" Aiko asked.

"What's the matter, sis?" Yuuki wondered.

"Something doesn't feel right," Aiko stated. "I don't think _that's_ a Talwar."

"Wait, what's the difference?" Yuuki quipped. "Maybe they changed his weapon up from the beta test."

"Wait, they _changed_ the weapon?!" Nick gasped just in time to see Diavel rushing towards Illfang. "Diavel, _get the hell back! _I don't think that's a Talwar!"

Diavel didn't seem to hear Nick as he and a few other players surrounded Illfang, hoping to finally put an end to the monster.

As the players stepped closer, Illfang crouched before leaping high into the air, turning its body mid-jump, then landing and unleashing a heavy horizontal spinning attack that sent Diavel and the others flying.

Though they were able to get up again, each player struck by Illfang's katana, a nodachi, had taken quite a lot of damage and was unable to move from their spot.

"Th-They've been stunned!" Aiko gasped.

Nick moved forward as fast as his legs could carry him, hoping he'd make it in time.

Illfang glanced down at Diavel in disgust before slashing upwards with its katana to send Diavel flying, then leaping after him to unleash a powerful combo consisting of an upward slash, then a downward slash, then a thrusting attack that sent Diavel flying across the room.

Nick skidded to a stop just in time for Diavel to crash to the ground in front of him, his health falling to zero and his health bar vanishing.

"Diavel, you _idiot_," Nick proclaimed. "Why didn't you listen to us?"

"I... I guess... maybe I just wanted the Last Attack Bonus," Diavel admitted. "I got greedy... and my greed cost me dearly..."

"Dude, hold on, I've got a spare potion you can use!" Yuuki gasped. "It's not too late!"

Even as Yuuki offered the potion, Diavel gently pushed her hand away. "It's... it's okay, miss. It may be my time... but it's not over for you all... show everyone... that this... game... _can_... be beaten..."

Despite Yuuki's frantic offerings, Diavel had spoken his last, his body glitching and wobbling slightly before exploding into a shower of glowing polygons resembling glass shards.

"Did... did Diavel just die?!" one of the players exclaimed.

Yuuki let out a loud battle cry and charged towards Illfang, even as Aiko and Nick joined her. The trio moved in to attack from multiple angles, intending to keep Illfang from doing anything that would catch them off guard.

As Yuuki raked her sword across Illfang's back, the monster crouched then leaped into the air. Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko wisely retreated as Illfang landed and unleashed another spinning attack with its nodachi.

With Illfang locked in the post-motion delay, Aiko struck first with a Folium, in which her Wind Fleuret curved upward from the left hip, making a sharp loop at its peak, before transitioning into a slash towards her lower right.

As Illfang's health reached its limit, Nick decided to end it, using the delay from Aiko attacking it to unleash his new Sword Skill, Spiral Driver, which was basically an upgraded version of his first Sword Skill, Spiral Cut.

Nick started by slashing three times, twice in a spiraling motion around his left and right shoulders, then a third strike in an upwards arc. Then, he leaped into the air and spun around with his Anneal Blade extended, dealing three more spinning slashes before finishing with a downwards spike and a heavy stab.

This did the needed damage, dropping Illfang's health to zero. Its body glitched and wobbled, Illfang's expression one of complete shock at its defeat, before it exploded into a shower of glowing polygons.

A large message window opened above the battlefield, simply stating "CONGRATULATIONS!", and smaller windows appeared before each player who'd participated, showing them the col (Aincrad's currency) and experience points they'd earned from the fight.

"We... we did it?" Yuuki gasped, only to let out a loud whoop of triumph and dash over to hug her sister. "We did it, Aiko, we _actually did it!_"

"Gotta say, Nick, that was a pretty stylish final attack," Aiko admitted. "Way to show the boss who the _real_ boss is around here."

Nick said nothing, still staring at the spot where Diavel had died.

"Hey, everything okay?" Yuuki asked, taking a step closer to Nick.

"Hey, you!" Kibaou growled, pointing towards Aiko. "How did you know that the boss' weapon was different?!"

"Oh, don't you _even_ start, jerk!" Yuuki challenged. "Neither of us were beta testers, if that's _even_ what you're implying!"

"Yeah, my cousin's got a habit of collecting old, ancient swords," Aiko replied. "Thanks to him, I know what a Talwar looks like, and that clearly _was not_ a Talwar."

"We should just be happy that we actually beat the boss at all!" Nick proclaimed. "Now we know it's possible to defeat this deathtrap of a game!"

"But..." one of the tanks responded. "Diavel is... well, still _dead_..."

"But he wouldn't want us to just sit on our laurels and do nothing, would he?!" Yuuki proclaimed. "No way in _heck_! Diavel would want us to focus our energy on beating this game, now that we know it's possible!"

"Two thousand people are already dead," another player responded. "How many more of us will die just trying to clear the next floor?!"

"All right, listen up, you sad sacks, _stop thinking like that_!" Yuuki bellowed, catching everyone's attention. "If that's all you think about, that means your death's only gonna come quicker! Instead, try thinking about what you want to do when we get out of here!"

"_If_ we get out..." a third player sighed.

"_When!"_ Yuuki countered. "Don't let the bad thoughts consume you! Focus on the happy thoughts, and focus on beating this game! Look at it this way: what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. I'm sure that, given some time, we'll be clearing floor after floor at lightning speed, and we'll be back home before you know it!"

Gradually, the worry in the crowd of players dissolved, replaced by a steely determination.

"Yeah, you're right!"

"Overthinking is only a problem!"

"Happy thoughts, man, happy freakin' thoughts!"

"Let's keep going and take this damn game down!"

"Wow, I'm a better motivational speaker than I thought," Yuuki giggled as she and Aiko ran to the edge of the arena in order to activate the teleport gate that would allow access to the second floor.

"Well, let's move on to floor two and see what else this game has in store for us," Aiko proclaimed. "You coming, Nick?"

Nick visibly hesitated, something Yuuki quickly caught on to.

"What's up, buddy?" Yuuki asked.

"Well..." Nick started. "Would it be okay... if the three of us stuck together for a while? I mean... I don't know if it's mutual, but... I honestly consider you two my friends. Is that weird for me to think that, despite that we haven't really known each other for a month?"

Yuuki looked at Aiko for a second, then doubled back to grab Nick by the arm and playfully drag him towards the teleport gate.

"Of _course_ we're friends, silly!" Yuuki proclaimed. "It's like I always said to Aiko, 'there are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other', and surviving a game that's trying to kill us all is _definitely_ one of those things!"

"After everything we've done together to make it this far, I really do think of you as a friend, too, Nick," Aiko answered. "I'm sure a lot of players are going to stick together if we're gonna survive this game."

Nick, despite his earlier fears, couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, you two," Nick replied. "That really means more than I can say."

"Anytime, buddy!" Yuuki giggled. "Now, seriously, come on and get in this teleport gate before the rest of the peeps leave you behind!"

His fears quashed, Nick enthusiastically followed Aiko and Yuuki into the teleport gate, coming out the other side in Urbus, the main settlement of Floor Two. Urbus had the appearance of a mountainous city that had been excavated from a flat-topped mountain and rested inside a crater.

Nick glanced at both Aiko and Yuuki, who were already chatting excitedly about the challenges ahead.

As Aiko and Yuuki moved into Urbus, Nick followed them, happy he'd made friends so easily.

_And that, right there, was the beginning of a wonderful friendship that would carry me and many others through the numerous trials to come. Because the absolute worst that Sword Art Online could throw at us... was yet to come._

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Nick: See? I told you we'd make some progress!

Yuuki: Yeah, who'd have thought we'd make it to floor _twenty-six_ in _four months?_ I honestly thought it'd take a lot longer with all the nonsense SAO's throwing at us!

Aiko: Um, not to interrupt this fascinating conversation, but who are _these_ guys?

Nick: Hmmm, let me see... I think they're a guild.

Yuuki: Ooh, a guild? Can we join?

Aiko: Hold your cute shoes, Yuu. First, let's see if they have any openings.

Yuuki: What's their name, the "Moonlit Black Cats"?

Nick: Interesting name. Well, it seems we'll be adventuring with this new guild on the next episode of _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "Under the Waning Moon"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	2. Under the Waning Moon

**On Today's Episode:** Four months have passed since floor one. Somewhere on floor twenty-six, Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko come across a guild calling themselves the Moonlit Black Cats, who have aspirations of catching up to the Clearers someday. Having never been in a guild before, the trio decided to join and help them out. How will their days with the Moonlit Black Cats play out? And who is the strange guild that seems to be following them?

Episode 2: Under the Waning Moon

_**April 8**__**th**__**, 2023, 2:31 PM Aincrad Time...**_

"Yuuki, over to your left!" Aiko exclaimed as another Wicked Gazer tried to sneak up on Yuuki, even though she was clutching her chest thanks to being poisoned by the boss' stinger.

Thankfully, even though Yuuki was distracted by the pack leader, Nick covered Yuuki by leaping forward and cutting down the offending Wicked Gazer with the Sword Skill Sharp Nail, two left-to-right slashes followed by an overhead slice.

This gave Yuuki the time she needed to deal a critical blow to the Wicked Gazers' pack leader, the Malicious Gazer, which caused it to stagger and turn slowly towards Yuuki, its intent painfully clear.

"Oh, what, you want some more, bug boy?!" Yuuki challenged, hoping to draw the Malicious Gazer's attention away from Nick and Aiko. Thankfully, it worked, and the Malicious Gazer flew towards her. "Nick, go and heal Aiko! I'll deal with this bugnut!"

Nick complied, doubling back to hold an Antidote Crystal over Aiko's head. The crystal quickly shattered, covering Aiko in a field of light green sparkles that immediately got rid of her poisoned status.

"Thanks, Nick," Aiko giggled. "Now watch me end this ugly bug."

While Yuuki was busy fending off slash after slash from the Malicious Gazer's pincers, Aiko charged in, raising her rapier to attack when she got close enough.

Aiko started with three short thrusts at the Malicious Gazer's middle section, provoking it to turn to Aiko and raise its pincers in a defensive motion. This didn't stop Aiko, however, as she then slashed the Malicious Gazer's unprotected bottom section twice, then two strong jabs high and low, finishing with one final stab to the now-exposed chest.

The Malicious Gazer shuddered violently before exploding into a cloud of glowing polygons.

"And squash goes the big bug," Yuuki giggled. "That was fun."

"Weren't we supposed to get some kind of rare material from that thing?" Nick asked. "That's the whole reason we went on this quest, remember?"

Aiko suddenly heard a ping and moved to check her inventory. A new item had been added to her stock, an Orichalcum Ingot, a rare material acquired by getting the Last Attack Bonus on the Malicious Gazer.

"Never fear, I have triumphed!" Aiko proclaimed, swiping through her menu to trade the material to Nick. After all, he was the one who would benefit most from it.

"Many thanks, Aiko," Nick quipped. "Now let's get back to Dahngrest so we can visit the blacksmith before my old sword breaks from the weather alone."

Together, Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko raced back down the path from the massive hive that had triggered this quest so they could get back to Dahngrest, the Den of Guilds, before sunset.

_**April 8**__**th**__**, 2023, 3:26 PM Aincrad Time...**_

"That... is... _sweet_!" Yuuki gasped, gazing excitedly at Nick's new weapon, the one-handed sword Lunar Lancet. It was a blade with a curved handle-guard almost like a keyblade and a long blade that shined like polished mirror glass.

"So, Nick, was it worth putting yourself in the line of fire of those nasty bugs?" Aiko giggled. She knew Nick didn't really like bugs, especially the giant ones that had permeated that quest.

"For an awesome sword like this, you _bet your backside _it was worth it," Nick quipped, spinning the Lunar Lancet in his hands.

_It's been four months since we triumphed over the first floor boss and showed all the players that it __**is**__ possible to beat this game. In that time, the players have made some remarkable progress, as we're currently on floor twenty-seven. (Well, right now, __**we're**__, the three of us, on floor twenty-six, but eh, details.) I've been sticking together with Yuuki and Aiko ever since that day, and we've gotten pretty strong. I'm level 35, and Yuuki and Aiko are level 36._

"Well, how about we head back to the labyrinth and stress-test your new sword, Nick?" Yuuki offered. "Couldn't hurt to gain a few more levels before the Clearers find the next labyrinth on floor twenty-seven, right?"

"We're already at a pretty high level for this part of the game, aren't we?" Aiko cut in as the trio began walking through the fields. The city lights of floor twenty-seven's main town and settlement Dahngrest could be seen from far away. "Remember that power-leveling session we did on floor twenty?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it'd hurt, Aiko," Nick proclaimed. "After all, you never know what this game could throw at us next, or if someone decides to be a big dumb and tries to conquer something they're clearly not ready for. Remember what happened to the ALS?"

Yuuki groaned at the utterance of the ALS, or Aincrad Liberation Squad. They had suffered a terrible loss in the floor twenty-five labyrinth due to their leader being given false information, resulting in the deaths of over half the guild.

"Ugh, don't remind me of _him_," Yuuki stated. "Seriously, who thought letting mister 'blah blah blah I freakin' _hate _beta testers blah blah' Kibaou lead them was _any sort _of good idea?!"

"I'm still a little salty that he tried to accuse _us_ of being beta-testers," Nick quipped. "I didn't even get into the beta myself, so what right does he have to say that about us?"

Aiko would have added her own two cents if she hadn't noticed something a few feet ahead of them.

At first glance, it turned out to be more of the Wicked Gazer bug monsters the three of them had been cutting down left and right for the quest they'd just been on. And they seemed to be harassing a group of five players, one of which was trying to poke one of the Wicked Gazers with a lance.

"Hey, I think they might be in trouble," Aiko stated.

"Well, then let's be the super-cool heroes and help them out!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Nick simply nodded as the trio drew their weapons and charged into battle.

"Sachi, aim for the chest! That's their weak point!" Tetsuo shouted even as Sasamaru attempted to scatter the other Wicked Gazers. Sachi simply took a step back, trying her best not to let her fear show on her face as she thrust her lance forward, hitting the Wicked Gazer directly in its chest and piercing straight through it, causing it to explode into glowing polygons...

...only to reveal that another Wicked Gazer was charging towards the prone Sachi, having used the death of its kin as cover to ambush her.

Sachi squeaked in fright and tried to dash backwards as quickly as possible, only to trip and fall on her back, leaving her open for the Wicked Gazer's stinger attack.

Just then, the Wicked Gazer stopped inches short of Sachi. The cause was quickly revealed to be Yuuki, having attacked the Wicked Gazer with a Sharp Nail to its back. The Wicked Gazer exploded into polygons like the other one had.

"You okay, miss?" Yuuki asked, reaching a hand out to help Sachi to her feet.

"Um... I think so," Sachi admitted. "Thank you for helping me out."

"No problem," Yuuki giggled. "Now let my buddy and big sis take care of the rest, 'kay?"

Nick and Aiko lunged from behind Yuuki to attack the rest of the Wicked Gazers, and with them all working together, it wasn't long before all of the Wicked Gazers had been eliminated.

"And that's how we exterminate the pests," Nick quipped.

"Everyone okay?" Aiko asked.

"We are now," Tetsuo responded. "Thank you all so much for coming to help us. We don't know why all of those Wicked Gazers tried to crowd us..."

"Probably because they're guarding a rare material on this field," Nick answered. "We _did_ just finish a quest to get that rare material, and you would not _believe_ how many of those damn bugs we had to cut down just to get to the boss."

"Well, we should probably introduce ourselves," Tetsuo stated. "We're members of the Moonlit Black Cats. I'm Tetsuo, that's Sasamaru, and this lovely lass is Sachi."

"Ooh, you're a guild?" Yuuki gasped. "That's cool!"

"You must be a pretty decent level if you could slaughter those things without much trouble," Sasamaru proclaimed.

"Well, I'm level 35, and Yuuki and Aiko are both level 36," Nick admitted.

"Whoa, that's pretty high for this floor!" Tetsuo exclaimed. "We're all only about level 23 or so."

"To be fair, we all did some power-leveling on floor twenty after what happened to the ALS," Aiko explained. "You never know what SAO's gonna try next, right?"

"True that," Tetsuo admitted. "Well, enough of the heavy stuff. How about the three of you come back to our headquarters in Dahngrest and share a drink with us?"

"Sounds like fun," Aiko stated.

_**Floor twenty-seven, Dahngrest, the Fortune's Market inn...**_

The Moonlit Black Cats all raised their glasses to toast the ones who had helped them out, much to Yuuki's amusement.

"Oh, guys, you didn't have to _toast_ us just because we helped you out," Yuuki proclaimed. "No way in _heck _were we just going to let you guys become bug food!"

"Regardless, you helped out my guild, and I truly appreciate it," Keita, the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats, answered. "We actually wanted to ask... are the three of _you_ in a guild yet?"

"Not really, honestly," Aiko replied, understanding instantly where Keita was going with this. "The three of us have been sticking together and just generally doing our own thing since the first floor boss."

"Well... then, if it's okay for me to ask," Keita continued. "Would you maybe consider joining our guild? We could use strong players like you."

"As long as you don't foist all the work on us," Nick answered teasingly. "Honestly, if we're gonna join you guys, we wanna help you get better at fighting. I know you said you wanna catch up to the Clearers someday."

"We just want to do our part in clearing this damned game," Tetsuo replied. "So... are you in?"

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko all huddled up to discuss things in secret.

"What do you say, you guys?" Yuuki asked. "Should we join them? I mean, we've never really been in a guild before, so..."

"It seems like it'd be good experience to be part of a guild," Aiko answered. "What say you, Nick?"

"To be honest, I want them to succeed," Nick responded. "Too many people have already been left in the dust by this damn game, and the more people we can inspire to get stronger and survive, the better. So I say we join them, but just until we can make sure they can be independent. It still feels weird having people depend on me."

"You'll get used to it soon," Aiko replied. "All right, let's break and give them the news."

The trio separated so Nick could give his answer. "Well, we talked it over, and... you know what, I'm gonna stop beating around the bush, because that's far too cliché for its own good. So, yes, we're in."

"Wonderful!" Keita exclaimed, sending guild invitation messages to Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko all at once, who quickly accepted. Now, there was a small icon next to their health bars, that of a black cat leaping over a crescent moon. "Now, we actually have one more question for you. You could consider it your first official assignment as a part of our guild."

"Which would be...?" Yuuki asked.

Keita gently tapped Sachi on the shoulder, and she stepped forward. "We'd like you to help Sachi learn how to fight more effectively," Keita explained. "She's really good with a lance, but... she's kind of scared of dying."

"Who _wouldn't_ be in a game like this?" Aiko admitted.

"I... I can fight if I have to," Sachi answered. "I really wish I wasn't such a coward..."

"Sachi, you're no coward," Nick immediately responded. "Despite your fear, you're doing everything you can to help your friends."

"Yeah, something my mom said is that 'courage is not the absence of fear, but how you choose to overcome your fear'," Yuuki proclaimed. "Even if you've got a way to go, Sachi, I know you can do it."

"It's nice to know... that you've got so much faith in me," Sachi answered, a slight blush highlighting her cheeks. "I just wish _I _had that kind of faith..."

As the guild continued to converse, mostly trying to support Sachi, none of them were aware that they were being watched through the window of Fortune's Market by a pair of hooded figures completely covered by black cloaks.

_**May 16**__**th**__**, 2023, 4:29 P.M. Aincrad Time...**_

"Okay, try it this way," Yuuki stated, swinging her sword in a three-step motion so Sachi could watch and understand how to do it. Recently, Keita had wanted Sachi to switch to using a sword and shield in an attempt to boost her confidence on the field, and had asked Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko to teach her.

Sachi steeled her nerves and swung her own sword, matching Yuuki's swings as best she could.

"There you go!" Yuuki exclaimed. "You're doing great, Sachi!"

"But remember, you don't have to copy Yuu's way of swinging your weapon exactly," Aiko proclaimed. "We're just teaching you the basics so you know how to use a sword and shield in-game. It's up to you to develop your own fighting style once you've got it down pat."

"Okay, now let's try using a Sword Skill," Nick responded. "But what to practice on...?"

"Hey, that should do nicely!" Yuuki proclaimed, pointing to a Gargoyle that was approaching them quickly. "All right, Sachi, this one's all you. Now go and show that thing what you're made of!"

Sachi took a step back, her nerves overpowering her mind, but she quickly clamped down on them. _If I keep being scared of every little thing, I've never going to get anywhere,_ Sachi thought. _So just throw caution to the wind and go for it!_

As the Gargoyle approached, Sachi clamped down on her fear and charged forward, moving her sword hand in the correct motion she'd been taught. Her sword began glowing as Sachi unleashed a Spiral Cut, slashing at the Gargoyle three times, twice in a spiraling motion around her left and right shoulders, then a third strike in an upwards arc.

"There you go, Sachi, you've got this!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Hearing Yuuki cheer for her filled Sachi with conviction, and she moved in while the Gargoyle was still stunned to finish it off with two slashes across its chest.

As the Gargoyle exploded into glowing polygons, Sachi could hardly believe that she'd done that all on her own. Even though Yuuki had given her encouragement, Sachi had been the one to actually move in and perform.

A window popped up in front of Sachi, informing her that killing the Gargoyle had given her enough experience to reach level 30.

"See, what'd I tell ya, Sachi?" Yuuki stated. "You're a natural!"

"You didn't let your fear show," Aiko proclaimed. "You're getting better every day, huh?"

"It's..." Sachi started before smiling. "It's because I have such wonderful friends, after all, friends that'll believe in me no matter what..."

"How long have you known the others, Sachi?" Yuuki asked.

"Oh, we've been friends for a while," Sachi answered. "We were actually part of our school's computer club, and we'd all decided to try out Sword Art Online together when..."

As Sachi trailed off, the trio said nothing. After all, that day was still fresh in many player's minds, even close to a year and a half later.

"How about we head back?" Nick offered. "I think you did pretty well today, Sachi."

Sachi nodded, but before they could even take two steps, Yuuki stopped in her tracks.

"What's the matter, Yuu?" Aiko asked.

"Someone's coming," Yuuki responded. "I can hear their footsteps approaching _really_ fast."

"W-Who do you think it could be?" Sachi asked.

"Maybe it's Tetsuo?" Aiko giggled. "He's really quick on his feet, almost like he'd put in for track instead of a computer club."

The hopes of it actually being Tetsuo were dashed when the offending figure, still thinking he had gone undetected, leaped from the nearby bushes and attempted to strike Yuuki with his dagger.

Unfortunately for him, Yuuki had heard his rapid approach, and she whipped around, drawing her sword and slashing it out to deflect the figure's dagger all in one swift motion.

"Wanna try again in another life, jerk-o?!" Yuuki growled, slashing upwards to put some space between herself and the figure, who was completely covered by a black cloak.

Yuuki slowly began moving around, hoping to throw the figure's guard off. "Um, can you _speak_, mister jumpy?" Yuuki challenged. "Or are you just gonna give us the silent treatment?"

The figure responded by jumping forward to attack with his oddly-colored dagger. Yuuki swung her sword to meet the attack, only for the figure to spin around the strike and stab the dagger towards Yuuki's midriff.

Aiko lunged forward with a Linear, her rapier stabbing out to knock the dagger away from Yuuki just in time. Aiko then swung her rapier a second time to send the dagger flying away, where it pierced into a nearby tree.

"Thanks for the save, sis!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Now how about you and I take 'em down together?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Aiko replied.

Nick stood protectively in front of Sachi just in case the figure tried to go after them.

However, to everyone's surprise, the figure relented, moving to retrieve his dagger from the tree. "Make no mistake, we will take what is rightfully ours," the figure proclaimed in a low, growling voice before running off into the forest.

"Okay, now that we're all safe again, I figure I gotta ask," Yuuki quipped. "Who _was_ that freak?!"

"Not a clue," Nick admitted. "He seems like just another looney who does whatever he wants because he thinks he can."

"Wait, I think I saw something before he retreated," Sachi stated. "Did he... have an orange cursor? It's usually green, right?"

"He must have been some kind of criminal, then," Nick answered. "Have you ever dealt with them, Sachi?"

"Can't say that I have," Sachi replied.

"Well, normally our cursors are green," Aiko explained. "But if you commit some kind of crime against another player, like attacking them outside of a duel, the cursor turns orange. Usually, if you refrain from any more 'criminal acts' for a couple days, the cursor will go back to green."

"So, what, you can't even attack another player without turning orange?" Yuuki gasped. "That sounds dumb! What if someone's trying to gank your stuff?"

"Actually, Yuu, if an orange player attacks you first, and _then_ you strike back, it won't turn you orange due to the system recognizing it as an act of self-defense," Aiko responded.

"Okay, crisis averted," Yuuki sighed.

"But... why would he attack _us_?" Sachi wondered.

"Heck if I know how these nutballs' minds work," Nick proclaimed. "But don't you worry about a thing, Sachi. If mister joke in the cloak _does_ come back for more, we'll take him down."

"Yeah, he won't be getting the drop on _us_!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Despite how nerve-wracking that encounter had been, Sachi felt better already.

_**June 22**__**nd**__**, 2023, 5:14 P.M. Aincrad Time...**_

"Well, everyone, I have great news!" Keita proclaimed once all of the Moonlit Black Cats had gathered in Fortune's Market in response to his message.

"Okay, enough of the dramatic silence, let's hear it!" Yuuki replied.

"I just checked our funding, and we finally have enough col to purchase our own home!" Keita exclaimed.

"That's _awesome_!" Aiko stated.

"As fun as it is hanging out in Fortune's Market, it'll be nice to finally have our own headquarters," Sachi giggled.

"All I have to do is head down to the Town of Beginnings so I can bargain for one," Keita continued. "I'll be back soon!"

As Keita left Fortune's Market, Tetsuo suddenly had a brainstorm.

"Hey, guys, I have an idea," Tetsuo stated. "While Keita's out getting our new HQ, why don't we go and fight some monsters? That way, we could rack up enough col to celebrate our new home!"

"Okay, but where do you think we should go to do that?" Sasamaru asked.

"Well, why not the labyrinth on floor twenty-seven?" Tetsuo asked. "There's some tricky monsters there that I think would be perfect for grinding money."

"You sure that's the best place?" Aiko wondered. "The monsters in that labyrinth may be a little too much for you guys to handle at your level."

Every single member of the Moonlit Black Cats was currently at level 32, whereas Nick was level 41, and Yuuki and Aiko were level 42.

"Hey, if we get into any trouble, you'll bail us out, right?" Ducker teased. "After all, you're our trump card."

"Did you _have_ to say it like _that_?" Yuuki groaned, to which everyone started laughing.

Meanwhile, after teleporting to the Town of Beginnings, Keita realized that his contact for the house had moved out of the town.

"Crap, must have just missed him," Keita quipped. "But he can't be far off. I just have to catch up to him!"

Keita moved out into the Meadow of Beginnings, using the map to follow the cursor of his contact in the Homeowner's Heights guild that had told him about houses they could afford.

However, when he looked back at his map, Keita noticed, to his confusion, that the cursor of his contact had vanished from his map.

"Wait, that's weird," Keita proclaimed. "Why'd he disappear? Did he cloak himself or something, or did he...?"

Keita's words were cut off when something stabbed him in the back and caused him to fall unceremoniously to the ground. He tried to pick himself up quickly to respond to the threat, but found his body unable to move.

A small icon to the left of his health bar indicated that he had been paralyzed. Keita glanced downwards and saw that a small, oddly-colored dagger had fallen in front of him.

Much like the one that the strange cloaked figure had used when trying to ambush Sachi last month.

"W-who are you?" Keita growled.

"Simple, boy," the cloaked figure answered, advancing ominously on Keita's prone form. "I am here to free you from this wretched game."

"W-what?" Keita gasped, trying in vain to move. "You heard what Kayaba said, right? The only way to escape this game is... to..."

Keita trailed off in horror as he quickly realized what this cloaked figure was about to do to him if he didn't get away.

"Oh, don't think about escaping," the figure laughed, drawing his sword. "You won't recover from that paralysis poison fast enough to escape your judgment."

"Why... are you doing this?" Keita wondered. "You must... have a reason for wanting to _murder_ people... you know that death in the game means death in real life!"

"There's no _proof_ that dying in game means you die for real," the figure cackled, but even Keita could tell he was lying. "And honestly, death may be the _only_ absolute freedom there is."

"Y-You're nuts," Keita growled, trying his absolute best to fight through the paralysis and reach for his sword...

...only for the cloaked figure to leap forward and slice his own sword across Keita's back, dropping his health significantly.

"You won't get away with this!" Keita shouted defiantly.

"Oh, but I already have," the figure proclaimed, raising his sword and slamming it down through Keita's chest so that it pierced through the other side and stabbed into the ground beneath him.

This action depleted the remainder of Keita's health in one fell swoop.

"Remember this in the afterlife, boy," the figure cackled. "You will remember the name... _Laughing Coffin_."

Even as his body began to break apart, Keita's final thoughts were only of his guildmates. His friends.

_Please... be careful, everyone... don't let him defeat you..._ were Keita's last thoughts as his avatar exploded into glowing shards of light.

The cloaked figure retrieved his sword and grinned wickedly. "Mission accomplished," the figure stated. "Without their precious leader, the others should fall easily."

Just then, the figure received a message from one of his fellow guild members. _How goes it?_

_Their leader is finished. Where are the rest of them?_

_Currently in the labyrinth on floor 27._

_Wait until they exit, and then ambush them. They'll most likely be weakened from all the grinding they're probably doing._

_Understood, boss._

With a sweep of his cloak, the figure retreated back to the Town of Beginnings, with no one being any the wiser as to what had just happened.

_**Floor 27, just outside the labyrinth...**_

"Well, well, that was a lot more fun than I expected!" Tetsuo proclaimed once the Moonlit Black Cats had returned to the field from the floor labyrinth.

"Says you!" Ducker shouted. "We almost got slaughtered in that one room!"

"Guess it's a good thing at least one of us had a high enough Trap Disabling skill," Aiko replied.

"I _told_ you, Aiko, you _never_ know when these oddball skills can be useful!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Just the fact that Tetsuo could do that _literally_ saved our bacon!"

"Yeah, but let's not do something that risky again for a _long time_, capiche?" Nick quipped.

"Sounds good to me," Sachi laughed.

Yuuki was about to send a message to Keita to let him know of their spoils, only to see something, or rather, a _lack_ of something, that deeply disturbed her.

Everyone in the Moonlit Black Cats had been added to Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko's friend lists when they'd joined the guild.

But now, Keita's name and health bar had vanished from her friend list as if it had never been there to begin with.

"Um, guys?" Yuuki asked. "Where did Keita's name go?"

Before any of the other Moonlit Black Cats could check their own friend lists, multiple cloaked figures flew by them, stabbing each of them with a poison-tipped dagger and causing them to fall to the ground, completely paralyzed. Only Yuuki and Aiko were able to avoid the stealth attack with their higher AGI stats.

"All right, what's the big deal, freaks?!" Yuuki shouted, drawing her sword. "Didn't you have enough the last time?!"

"Our boss has already cleansed one of you wretched alley cats," one of the five figures laughed. "It won't be much longer before you join him in sweet, glorious _death_."

"D-Death?!" Sachi gasped.

"You _didn't_," Aiko growled, quickly putting two and two together.

"Y-You monsters _killed_ him?!" Nick proclaimed.

"The first strike of Laughing Coffin," another cloaked figure laughed. "And now... _you're_ _next_."

"Oh, _really_?" Yuuki shot back. "Then just come at me and we'll see."

One of the cloaked figures lunged for Yuuki, aiming his sword for her chest, only for Yuuki to cross her own sword over that spot, easily blocking the figure's attack before striking back with a diagonal cut across his chest.

And since the figure was already an orange player that had attacked her first, Yuuki's own cursor stayed green.

"_Don't test me,"_ Yuuki growled, spinning around to kick the figure away from her.

Unfortunately, this left the paralyzed Moonlit Black Cats wide open to the four other cloaked figures, who all began striking their helpless victims with their own weapons.

Tetsuo was the first to die, trying to reach for a prone Sachi before exploding into light.

"Yuu, we need to act fast! They're going to kill all of them if we don't get 'em to back off!" Aiko shouted as she avoided a lunge from another poison-tipped dagger before striking back with a Cross Stab, a Sword Skill in which she slashed her rapier twice across the figure's chest before stabbing the middle of the X she'd created with her earlier strikes.

Sasamaru struggled to break the paralysis, only for one of the figures to impale his throat with a large broadsword, almost instantly killing him.

Yuuki leaped over another figure in order to rush to Ducker's aid before he fell as well, only to be tripped up by that figure's leg sweep, sending her rolling to the ground just in time to watch as Ducker was impaled in the chest by a rapier and exploded into light.

Only Nick and Sachi remained after the figures were done.

The last figure slowly walked towards Sachi, brandishing his longsword towards her, his intent painfully clear.

"So sorry you couldn't be better," the figure laughed. "Think about your failure as you join your friends in hell."

The figure raised his longsword to end Sachi's life, only for Yuuki to barge forward and shoulder tackle the figure away from her, then double back to use an Antidote Crystal on Sachi and cure her paralysis.

Determined to avenge her comrades, Sachi quickly got to her feet and drew her sword and shield, ready to fight.

"You're going to pay for murdering our friends, you _loonies_!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Um, boss, what do we do now?" one of the figures asked. "I don't think we're going to get the drop on them again, and even though there's only three of them, I'm pretty sure they're stronger than us."

"You all return to headquarters," the leader whispered. "I still have a trump card to play."

The other four figures quickly dashed away, leaving only their leader.

"Oh, what, did all your 'friends' abandon you?" Aiko proclaimed. "Good, because now we get to _really_ lay down some hurt."

The leader, who could now be identified by his player tag as Johnny Black, responded by swinging his sword and raking it across Nick's back, dropping his health dangerously low.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Johnny laughed. "One wrong move, and I _will_ send him to join your friends."

Yuuki and Aiko stood completely still, their neutral expressions not betraying the fact that they were worried about what to do.

Sachi just stood there, glancing at her sword and shield, unsure if there was anything _she_ could do to prevent any more of her friends from dying.

Wait.

Sachi was already brainstorming something.

But she knew she'd have to be swift.

"Why are you doing this?" Sachi asked, hoping to distract Johnny long enough for this to work.

"Oh, that's quite simple," Johnny laughed. "We of Laughing Coffin simply wish to grant freedom to the players of Sword Art Online."

"F-Freedom my _ass_," Nick growled, still struggling to move. "You're just justifying the fact that all you want to do is _murder_ people because you think you can get away with it..."

Johnny simply slashed his sword across Nick's body again. "Hold your tongue, boy, or I'll rip it right out of you," Johnny growled.

Johnny turned around and began to walk around the area.

Exactly the tell Sachi needed.

"Think about it," Johnny proclaimed. "With all of us trapped in this game, death may be the only true freedom we'll ever get. So, we decided that we'd give that freedom to the players... one at a time, if need be."

"You're insane," Aiko shot back.

"Maybe..." Johnny answered. "But maybe I'm just brilliant. It's all just a matter of perspective, really. So, kids... are you all ready to die?!"

Johnny turned around to finish the job he'd started...

...just in time for Sachi to thrust her lance forward and stab Johnny in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards.

This gave Aiko all the time she needed to run up to Nick, whose health was down to a mere sliver and still draining. Aiko wasted no time in using an Antidote Crystal on Nick, dispelling the paralysis that had been gripping him.

Yuuki moved in to use a Healing Crystal on Nick, and let out a sigh of relief she hadn't known she'd been holding as Nick's health bar jumped back to full.

"You okay, Nick?" Yuuki asked as she helped Nick to his feet.

"Oof, I literally came _that_ close to breakfasting with my maker, didn't I?" Nick quipped. "But I live to fight another day. Thanks for saving my bacon, Yuuki."

"Don't mention it!" Yuuki giggled before re-adopting a serious expression as she, Nick, and Aiko turned to face Johnny, with Sachi right behind them, lance at the ready. "Now, let's take our anger out on mister nutball here."

"Now you're talking my lingo, sis," Aiko proclaimed as the four of them raised their weapons.

Johnny took two steps back, realizing that he was now hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Well, better to run away to fight and kill another day, right?

"Well, I guess we'll have to pick this up some other time, then," Johnny stated. "This isn't the end by any means, oh, no. This is merely the beginning of Laughing Coffin's legacy. Be grateful that I'm choosing to spare your lives for now."

With that said, Johnny retrieved his weapon and made a hasty retreat.

"Well... that was _definitely_ a thing," Aiko quipped.

"It's more than just a thing," Nick admitted, looking back at where the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats had been not two minutes ago. "Sword Art Online officially has a pack of murderers on the prowl."

"Who do we tell about this?" Yuuki asked. "We've gotta make sure this info spreads _quickly_ so that everyone's aware and can stay on their toes in case these guys pop up somewhere."

Nick glanced back at Sachi, the only surviving member of the Moonlit Black Cats, who was praying for the souls of her dearly departed friends.

"I was so worried this was going to happen," Sachi admitted. "Why did it have to end like this?"

"It's like I said, I really have no clue how these dumbbells' minds work," Yuuki answered, walking up to let a hand rest on Sachi's shoulder. "But you've gotten so much stronger since the day we joined you guys. I have faith in you, Sachi, that you can carry on what they were fighting for."

"...you want to know something?" Sachi asked. "When you told us that you were much higher-leveled than us, I... actually felt safer. I used to be incredibly afraid of dying after SAO was turned into a death game. But knowing that someone of a much higher level would be watching over us... it really made me feel at ease. Well, until now..."

"Hey, I don't think anyone in the game knew that a bunch of players were going to form an organization of murders and assholes," Nick quipped. "Though, give them some power they can actually use, and there's no _telling_ what they'll do with it... god, I hope I never turn out like that..."

"You won't," Yuuki giggled, leaping over to hug Nick. "We'll be your lifelines, just like you were for us!"

"Yeah, you saved our lives on the first day," Aiko proclaimed. "We don't know how we could ever pay you back for that..."

"Aw, you two," Nick laughed. "I told you already, just your friendship is all I need."

"You all seem really close," Sachi replied. "Must be nice to share such a bond."

"Well, like Yuu said, the three of us have been sticking together since practically the beginning of Sword Art Online," Aiko responded. "We decided that we're not going to let this game beat us."

Sachi stood up after saying a final prayer, clutching the handle of her lance tightly. "I've got one last thing to ask the three of you," Sachi proclaimed. "I want you all to survive to the end of this game, to find out why it was created, and why someone like me was caught up in all of this. We're the only ones left to carry on the legacy of the Moonlit Black Cats, so let's do right by our fallen friends, okay?"

"Spoken like a true hero, Sachi," Nick stated.

"Say, have you three ever thought about forming your own guild?" Sachi asked.

"Hmmmm... not really," Yuuki admitted. "I guess we were just so laser-focused on keeping our promise that we never really thought about it."

"If we did, would you like to join us, Sachi?" Aiko asked.

"That's a nice offer, but I feel like I'd need to get a lot stronger to catch up to you," Sachi answered. "And that's what I want to do, get stronger so that I won't suffer the same fate my friends did."

"You promise to stay alive until that day, got it?" Yuuki proclaimed, reminding Nick of the first day of SAP.

Sachi just nodded, allowing a few tears to fall.

_**October 15**__**th**__**, 2023, 4:29 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 40 Labyrinth...**_

"ASUNA!" Yuuki exclaimed as she caught up with the parties and flung herself headlong into them to tackle hug one player in particular.

Having been a victim of her friend's tackle hugs before, Asuna Yuuki knew what to expect and turned around just in time to hug Yuuki back and not get knocked down again.

"You didn't wait for me, silly," Yuuki giggled.

"Blame the other party leaders," Asuna replied. "They wanted to get this over with as much as I did. Wait, aren't your friends with you?"

"YUU, WAIT!"

"YUUKI, GET BACK HERE!"

"Ah, right on schedule," Yuuki laughed as Aiko and Nick finally caught up to the rest of the parties. "What took you guys so long, huh?"

"Well, sor-_ry_ that we don't have your goddess-like reflexes and speed," Nick teased, trying to look irked, even if Yuuki could see right through him.

"Wait, Yuu, you never told us how chummy you were with the freakin' _vice-commander_ of the Knights of the Blood Oath," Aiko proclaimed.

_Okay, explanation time. After what happened to the ALS on floor twenty-five, someone needed to step up and fill the void they left behind until they formed the Aincrad Liberation Force. That's where these guys, the Knights of the Blood Oath, came in. The KoB, as Yuuki so teasingly calls "cob", is a super-powerful Clearers guild dedicated to helping us all beat Sword Art Online. These guys are the best of the best, veteran players who are super-skilled. They made their grand entrance way back on floor twenty-six, and they've been a valuable force in clearing the floors ever since._

"Honestly, Aiko, the way you make it sounds almost seems like you're accusing us of being secret lovers or something," Asuna replied.

"Yeah, she's just a friend, Aiko, don't make it sound like we got married or something," Yuuki groaned, before suddenly thinking of something peculiar. "Wait, if we _did_ get married, Asuna, you'd probably have to take my name, since otherwise I'd be called 'Yuuki Yuuki'. Is that weird to anyone else?"

"YUUKI!" Asuna squeaked, her entire face going red.

"Enough, enough, I give," Nick sighed, much more used to Yuuki's antics.

"Okay, but seriously," Yuuki answered. "It happened back on floor thirty-six. Asuna had apparently just gotten into the floor thirty-seven town and was super-exhausted from the fight, so she decided to take a nap by a tree. When I saw her there, I decided to keep watch over her so no idiots would try anything, especially with Laughing Coffin on the prowl."

"I took Yuuki out for a snack to thank her for protecting me, and I guess we just hit it off from there," Asuna finished. "I got a chance to see her in action during the floor thirty-eight boss battle, and her speed and reflexes are just _incredible_!"

"Yeah, but yours aren't too far behind mine, you know," Yuuki admitted.

As Asuna and Yuuki conversed, Nick caught a glance of a peculiar player, apparently going by "Nautilus" if his player tag was to be believed.

_He's a member of the KoB, right?_ Nick thought. _So... why does he look like he __**really**__ doesn't want to be here?_

After a few thoughts, Nick attributed it to the most likely cause of pre-boss jitters, as even the higher-leveled players were probably unsure of what each new boss would pull out next.

But some nagging thought in the back of Nick's mind told him it wasn't so simple.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Yuuki: All right, guys, we've got another boss to stomp on!

Aiko: Nick? Everything okay?

Nick: I'm just surprised that this Nautilus guy just stood there and didn't do a damn thing while his guildmate was getting clobbered by mister prison guard over there.

Yuuki: You think he got cold feet? It could happen to anyone in this game, honestly.

Asuna: I'm not sure. I'm gonna talk to the commander after this and see what he thinks.

Yuuki: ...wait, who's that singing?

Aiko: She sounds _gorgeous_.

Nick: Well, it seems like we'll be attending an impromptu concert after this, huh? Just don't ask her for a cut of the ticket prices. That'd be a bit... well, _silly_.

Yuuki: You're the silly one, you!

Nick: Oh, you think? Well, how about we test that silly limit on the next episode of _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "Sonata of Hope and Despair"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	3. Sonata of Hope and Despair

**On Today's Episode:** During a battle on floor 40, Nick and the Konno twins notice that a particular player seems to constantly freeze up in the heat of battle. Knowing that such an affliction can't be good in a game like this, they decide to enlist Asuna's aid in helping him. Along the way, the group encounters a singer who seems to know Nautilus. Can she be any help in figuring out why he keeps hesitating, or is there a darker reason for such hesitation?

Episode 3: Sonata of Hope and Despair

_**October 15**__**th**__**, 2023, 5:00 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 40 Labyrinth...**_

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko stood at attention as Asuna explained how they were going to tackle the upcoming boss battle.

"So, Nick, you ready for this one?" Aiko quipped.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Nick responded, casually spinning Lunar Lancet in his hand.

"I noticed that you keep glancing over at that one guy in Asuna's group," Yuuki stated. "Any particular reason?"

Nick looked back at Nautilus, who still held that same expression he'd had since the party had arrived in the labyrinth.

"Not entirely sure, but for whatever reason, he _really_ looks like he doesn't want to be here," Nick answered. "I don't know why, if he's part of the KoB, but it just bugged me."

Deciding to see if Asuna knew anything after the fight, the party moved into the boss room itself and were immediately confronted with the Ruthless Warder Chief, the mini-boss preventing them from proceeding any further in the labyrinth.

The Ruthless Warder Chief roared loudly to signal the start of the fight, and the twelve-person party charged in to attack.

Despite having only two health bars, the Ruthless Warder Chief was very stubborn, especially considering it possessed an advanced trait known as [Bullying], where it could ignore the players trying to aggro it and instead focus on collapsed or downed players.

Thankfully, it wasn't much longer before the first health bar was drained by way of Asuna ravaging it with a Triangular to the chest.

"Everyone, split into smaller parties!" Asuna commanded. "We have no clue if it's going to change patterns or not!"

As the groups split into smaller sub-groups per Asuna's orders, Nick's eyes were once again drawn to Nautilus and his partner, the spear-wielding Sanza.

For some strange reason, Nautilus was completely frozen in his spot, not moving an inch.

Nick didn't see any debuffs or status conditions inflicting him.

So what the heck was happening?

"Dude, what's the holdup?!" Sanza proclaimed. "Get your butt over here!"

Still, Nautilus refused to move for whatever reason, and this gave the Ruthless Warder Chief the chance it needed to strike, moving in to attack Sanza with a wide sweeping strike from its iron bars that sent him flying into the opposite wall of the arena.

The Ruthless Warder Chief followed quickly due to its [Bullying] algorithm, intent on ending Sanza right then and there.

Before Sanza could let out any sort of scream, however, Yuuki had planted herself in front of Sanza and lashed out with the Sword Skill Round Break, where she ducked down low and spun around with her sword extended, dealing at least five hits to the Ruthless Warder Chief's weak point, its knees.

This stumbled the Ruthless Warder Chief and left it open to a flying stab from Aiko's rapier. "We've got it on the ropes! Everybody, pour it on!" Aiko shouted.

With Aiko's encouragement, it wasn't too much longer before the Ruthless Warder Chief fell, collapsing on its face and exploding into a cloud of glowing polygons.

"And that's all she wrote," Nick proclaimed, sheathing his sword.

"That was a pretty fun one, honestly," Yuuki admitted before looking back at Nautilus, who was finally moving around again. "But why did he freeze up when his buddy needed him?"

"It looks like Asuna's asking him about that," Aiko stated. "I'm kinda curious myself."

Despite being asked a question by his commander, Nautilus still seemed hesitant to answer, as if he was embarrassed by the reason.

"It... just felt like my legs refused to move, no matter what I told my body to do," Nautilus answered. "I'm... really sorry, vice commander..."

"Maybe it was just nerves," Asuna answered, even if she wasn't so sure herself. "I'm sure we've all got them. All right, everyone, let's leave the labyrinth for now!"

As the group headed back the way they came, Yuuki heard a ping sound, then instinctively moved to check her quest log. To her delight, the specialty food item she'd requested at Fortune's Market had been finished in the time they'd taken to beat the Ruthless Warder Chief.

"Hey, guys, our food's ready!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"That was _quick_," Aiko responded. "I wasn't expecting it to be done so soon after we turned in that quest reward."

"Hey, you know Fortune's Market," Nick replied. "They work fast, but they work hard, too."

"Hey, Asuna, you wanna join us for a meal at Fortune's Market?" Yuuki asked, causing Asuna to turn around. "It's on me!"

Asuna only deliberated for a second before dropping her professional manner and smiling brightly. "Sure, Yuuki, I'll take you up on that," Asuna answered.

"YES!" Yuuki exclaimed. "It's chow time for us!"

_**October 15**__**th**__**, 2023, 5:37 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 26, Fortune's Market...**_

Asuna couldn't help but giggle at the expression Aiko was making as she bit into her food. "Ooh, this food is _so good_..." Aiko proclaimed. "I can't believe food in SAO could _ever_ be better than the stuff these guys make!"

"Well, it definitely helps that all the chefs at Fortune's Market are actual players instead of NPCs," Asuna answered, eating her sandwich more slowly compared to how Aiko was wolfing hers down. "They must have really high [Cooking] skills."

"And considering how difficult some of these skills can be to level up, they must have put a _lot_ of time into it," Nick admitted. "That's no easy feat in a game like this, where you have so many _other_ skills that'd be more suited for SAO."

"Hey, good on 'em, I say," Yuuki giggled. "It's nice that they're choosing to help players adjust, after all."

Asuna set her sandwich down for the moment so she could ask the question that was bothering her. "So... you all were there for the boss battle, so you definitely must have noticed something wrong with Nautilus, right?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah, he was supposed to defend your spear guy, but he froze like a statue," Yuuki answered. "Nick didn't notice any debuffs. Did you, Nick?"

"No debuffs, no status conditions, nothing," Nick responded. "It was pretty strange. I guess it's a good thing Yuuki was there, otherwise we might have lost Sanza..."

Aiko thought about something for a few seconds, wondering where she'd heard this kind of thing before.

"You got a theory, sis?" Yuuki wondered.

"Well..." Aiko started. "I actually read about this in a news article during the SAO beta test. You guys know that FullDive machines need a lot, and I mean _a lot_, of fine tuning to work with each individual user, but since the NerveGear is a mass-produced thing, we had to enact a really long and tedious connection test out of the box to determine settings for all your dives after that."

"Oof, don't remind me of that," Nick sighed. "That was _annoying_, more than those gigantic day one updates for console games that can take _hours_ depending on your connection..."

"You salty about that, Nick?" Yuuki giggled.

"Just a _little_," Nick proclaimed.

"Some people, however, would experience what the article called a 'FullDive Non-Conformity'," Aiko continued. "Most cases are just tiny obstacles, like some senses not functioning at a hundred percent or slight lag in communication with your brain, but some rare cases are so bad that the person in question would be completely unable to use a NerveGear."

"So, you think Nautilus may be suffering from one of these non-conformities?" Asuna replied.

"It would make sense when you think about it," Aiko answered. "It seems like... well, it feels like the signals are going to the instinct part instead of the reason part, which could explain why he froze up in the heat of the battle."

"There's the problem, too," Asuna stated. "I don't think this is something that simple training is going to fix, even if Nautilus has a lot of potential."

"It's really up to you, Asuna," Yuuki replied. "You're the vice-commander, so it's your decision."

A few minutes later, when the group had finally finished their meals, Asuna made her decision. "I most likely won't let Nautilus participate in the next boss battle, though I want to see if I can work with him to control his condition."

"Yeah, we can't have players freezing up against the big boys," Aiko admitted. "We'd be dropping like Dorito-encrusted flies."

"...huh. That's an image," Yuuki quipped.

"I'm sure he'll understand," Nick stated.

_**October 16**__**th**__**, 2023, 6:21 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 40, Jaileum...**_

Nautilus sighed in frustration as he glanced listlessly at the roof of the inn he'd rented to avoid contact with his fellow guild players.

After everything he'd done to work his way up the ranks of the KoB, another "episode" of him freezing up in battle had gotten him demoted, with even the vice-commander saying in no uncertain terms that he wasn't allowed to participate in the floor 40 boss fight.

"Why did my body have to freeze up in the middle of a battle?" Nautilus growled, reaching for the dagger sheathed on his belt. "Why am I so _worthless?!_"

Nautilus stabbed the dagger towards himself, only for his body to be protected by a small field of purple hexagons that spread out across his body. This didn't stop Nautilus from trying to stab himself again and again, Inner Area barrier be damned, until he finally exhausted himself and flopped down onto the bed.

_I want to get stronger,_ Nautilus thought. _I want to overcome this condition. I promised her that I'd get her out of this damned game, and I can't even do that because I just chicken out EVERY TIME I—_

A double beep wrenched Nautilus from his thoughts, and he looked up, opening his menu to see that someone had sent him a message.

In fact, it was from the very girl he'd been thinking about.

_Maybe talking to her will make me feel at least a little bit better,_ Nautilus thought as he stood up and walked out of the inn, moving towards Jaileum's plaza.

And sure enough...

"What's up, Yuna?"

A short-haired young woman looked towards him, wearing a long white hood that covered her head.

And she looked a little annoyed, puffing out her cheeks in the process.

"Don't you 'what's up' me," Yuna responded. "I'm the one who decided to go out of my way to see how you were doing, you know."

"I know, but it's just rare seeing you here on the front lines," Nautilus replied. "Besides, this town doesn't exactly yell 'Yuna's favorite place', if you catch my drift."

Yuna just giggled in response. "You're still the same as ever, aren't you, 'E'?"

When Nautilus didn't respond, Yuna looked at him with confused eyes. "Did... something happen, E?"

"I thought I kept telling you not to call me that when we're in a town," Nautilus responded. 'E' was a cute nickname Yuna had given him based on his real name, Eiji.

Despite everything, Eiji calmed himself down before answering.

"I had a bit of a... let's call it a 'blunder' in the boss fight today."

"And you're feeling down because of it?" Yuna asked.

"I-It's not like I'm _depressed _or anything!" Eiji sputtered.

Yuna walked up to in front of Eiji, stopping his rant by poking him in the chest.

"How many years do you think I've been watching your face, Nautilus?" Yuna quipped. "I can tell with you, ya know. Today, you're kind of about a seven on the 'depressed' scale."

"And what kind of scale is _that_?" Eiji replied.

"A ten grade, duh," Yuna giggled as she reached into the leather bag on her wrist and retrieved a large glass bottle full of multi-colored candies.

Eiji reflexively raised his palms as Yuna swung the bottle, causing an orange candy to fall into his hands.

"You'll cheer up if you lick it," Yuna laughed.

"I'm not a kid anymore, you know," Eiji responded, even as he put the candy in his mouth and tasted a bittersweet strawberry flavor. Yuna had always carried fruit-flavored throat lozenges since her younger days, and whenever she noticed that Eiji was angry or sad, she'd always give him a piece.

"Eiji, you're still a rookie, right?" Yuna asked in her normal big sister-like tone of voice. "Wouldn't it be normal to make mistakes? I don't think the KoB would be so thick-headed as to punish you for one silly little rookie mistake. Just be a little more careful next time, okay?"

Eiji couldn't help but smile at the sight of Yuna's smile, the same smile he'd been in love with for gods only knew how long. Despite that feeling, however, Eiji was still a bit anxious.

After all, he'd committed a mistake in the battle today. Even so, it had cost Sanza his weapon and almost his life, and Eiji knew that his body would undoubtedly freeze up like it had today. What would happen if he did so again? Would someone actually die when he could have prevented it otherwise?

"Yuna, you have no idea the pressure that's being put on everyone on the front lines," Eiji answered.

Considering how long they'd known each other, Eiji knew Yuna would want to fight on the front lines herself someday.

"Even so, I can at least cheer you on, Eiji," Yuna replied, walking up to Eiji and dragging him by his hands towards an NPC orchestra in a corner of the plaza. NPC orchestras would provide the background music for towns in lieu of regular old BGM.

Yuna placed her hands on her chest and began to sing, and the moment she did so, many of the players scurrying around the plaza stopped to wonder who was singing so beautifully.

"Hey, Nick, do you hear that?" Aiko asked.

"Yeah, someone's singing," Nick quipped.

"Whoever it is, she sounds _dazzling_," Yuuki stated. "Come on, let's go listen!"

The three of them raced over to join the growing crowd around Yuna and the orchestra. The song appeared to be a Japanese piece about the spectacle of the evening and the feelings of people following the road to home.

About two and a half minutes later, Yuna's song was finished, and the applause was rapturous. Some players even began asking for an encore, but Yuna quickly escaped from the plaza, dragging Eiji with her by his arm.

"Aw, man," Yuuki quipped. "I wanted to hear her sing more."

Nick looked up, suddenly noticing a new icon next to his player name, notably a yellow music note.

"Wait, when I did get a buff?" Nick wondered.

"Did we... did we get it from that lady's singing?" Yuuki asked, as she had the exact same buff.

"Kinda wish she didn't bolt on us," Aiko admitted. "Really would have liked to see what else she had in store."

Yuna finally stopped at an empty street corner and took a deep breath after releasing Eiji's hand. "Oof, that was tense," Yuna sighed.

"You were the one who started singing, Yuna," Eiji stated.

"I just didn't think so many people would show up!" Yuna responded.

"Well, when you're such a good singer, of course they would," Eiji teased. "Have you always been such a good singer, Yuna?"

"...is that praise or ridicule?" Yuna asked.

"Praise, of course," Eiji replied.

"Oh, okay, it's all right, then," Yuna sighed, only to squeak in surprise when she looked back up and saw three players staring intently at her.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, miss!" Yuuki responded, waving her arms frantically. "We mean absolutely no harm, we _promise_!"

"We just wanted to meet the amazing singer," Aiko continued. "It was mostly Yuuki's idea."

"I'm just along for the ride," Nick answered.

"Hey, aren't you... Nautilus, right?" Aiko asked.

"I assume you heard what happened?" Eiji groaned.

"Trust us, we're not here to rub it in your face or anything," Yuuki quipped. "After all, Asuna wants to help you get better at controlling it once we're done with this next boss."

"Oh, to the question we actually wanted to ask," Aiko replied. "We were all granted a buff after we listened to your song, which was _amazing_ by the way. Is that a skill of yours?"

Eiji looked at his own info window and saw that he had the same buff as well.

"It's called 'Protection of the Wind's Sound'," Yuna explained. "It gives a defense boost and resistance to both poison and stun."

"Wow, your song gave us this buff?" Nick asked.

"Yup!" Yuna giggled. "It's [Chant], my Extra Skill."

"W-wait, Yuna, you have an Extra Skill?!" Eiji gasped.

Despite the odd outburst, Yuna glanced at Eiji, adopting a very serious expression.

"You know something, Eiji?" Yuna stated. "I was thinking about training hard enough to be a part of the Clearers. Since practically no one else has the Chant skill, even someone like me who sucks at fighting could be useful. Would you... be willing to stand by me if I did that?"

Naturally, Eiji was a little frightened, knowing that Yuna would be putting herself at incredible risk as part of the Clearers. But at the same time, it only fueled his own desire to get stronger, so he could stand by Yuna and protect her if she ever got in trouble.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Eiji came to a decision.

"As long as you promise me two things, Yuna," Eiji answered.

"And those two things would be...?" Yuna wondered.

"One, promise me that if you feel you're in over your head, you'll back away," Eiji proclaimed. "And two... I want you to stand by me as well."

Figuring it was as good of a confession as he was going to get out right now, Eiji waited for Yuna to respond.

She simply smiled and poked Eiji in the chest again in that endearing way of hers. "Deal," Yuna giggled.

"Well, we'll leave you guys to it," Yuuki laughed. "And, Eiji, was it? Don't kick yourself over something silly. If you run into a wall, just keep training until you can break through that wall. That's what I always say, after all."

With that said, Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko doubled back to the Teleport Gate to continue their own escapades.

_**October 18**__**th**__**, 2023, 5:21 P.M. Aincrad Time, Sunshine Forest, Floor 20...**_

"Eat this, mantis boy!" Yuuki shouted, ducking under a double claw swipe from the offending Killer Mantis and giving her all the time she needed to run the Killer Mantis through with her sword. The Killer Mantis attempted one last strike even as its health bar emptied and it exploded into glowing polygons.

"YES!" Yuuki proclaimed once the victory window popped up. "I'm finally level 52!"

"Yeah, late by two whole minutes," Aiko giggled as she strolled up to her sister.

"WHAT?! You got to level fifty-two before me?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "_So_ not fair!"

"You snooze you lose, Yuu," Aiko laughed.

"Then I guess I'm the one who lost," Nick teased as he cut down another Killer Mantis with a Sonic End, a Sword Skill consisting of two spinning slashes, left to right then right to left, followed by an overhead chop. "I'm still stuck down here at level 51, after all."

All of Nick's instincts told him to move, and he obeyed them, charging forward to shove Yuuki to the ground as a much larger mantis sickle flew through the air where they had just been standing.

"Oof, thanks for the save, Nick," Yuuki quipped. "But what tried to shank us?"

"Um..." Aiko stated. "Remember all of those big mantis things we've been slaughtering for at least an hour?"

"Yeah, why?" Nick asked, only to finally get a good look at what had attacked them.

"I think their mother's here, and I think she's _cheesed_," Aiko admitted.

A much larger praying mantis monster was bearing down on the trio, with sickle arms almost resembling scythes and two pairs of vicious, glowing red eyes. The Great Mother Mantis let out a battle cry, two health bars appearing by its info window.

"Oh, wonderful," Nick groaned, shifting into a fighting stance. "More giant bugs for us to squash. Have I mentioned that I FREAKIN' HATE GIANT BUGS?!"

"Then let's just squash it and move on," Yuuki responded, twirling her sword and preparing for a fight.

The Great Mother Mantis growled loudly before marching forward, each of its legs clicking as it haphazardly swung its scythe arms.

"Oh, clever tool," Yuuki quipped. "It's trying to keep us from attacking head-on!"

"Drat it all, they're getting smarter," Aiko groaned, circling the Great Mother Mantis in order to find a potential weak spot, but no matter what she did, the boss quickly turned to face her.

Nick stood his ground as he realized something about this particular attack. After a couple seconds of deliberation, Nick pointed his sword towards the Great Mother Mantis as if to taunt it into coming after him. The boss took the bait, charging towards him while still wildly flailing its scythes.

"Nick, why are you just _standing there?!_" Aiko shouted.

"Trust me, this'll work!" Nick responded.

Once the Great Mother Mantis was close enough, Nick brought his sword upwards just in time, parrying the boss' scythes and sending it stumbling.

"She's open!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Let her have it!"

The trio rushed the Great Mother Mantis with their own Sword Skills, intent on doing as much damage as they could. By the time the Great Mother Mantis had picked itself up, it had lost a third of its first health bar.

Thankfully, the boss didn't have many other tricks to show, so it wasn't much longer before the trio was able to make short work of the Great Mother Mantis. This time around, Aiko allowed Yuuki to deliver the killing blow to apologize for accidentally stealing the Last Attack Bonus on the floor 38 boss.

Yuuki did so by way of her latest Sword Skill, Extreme Stars (it was actually called Star Quint Prominence, but Yuuki liked the name "Extreme Stars" better), where she slashed the Great Mother Mantis five times, the slashes forming the shape of a star, before delivering one final stab through the middle of the star shape, shattering the star and dealing the finishing blow.

The Great Mother Mantis collapsed to its knees before exploding into a cloud of glowing polygons.

"And victory goes to us!" Yuuki exclaimed, happy to see she'd leveled up again.

"That was pretty interesting, having to parry the boss' attacks to leave it susceptible," Aiko quipped as she sheathed her rapier.

"Guess it's a test to make sure we're not just trying to fly by the seat of our pants and hoping it'll work," Nick stated.

"I think we've earned ourselves a little reward, eh?" Yuuki giggled.

"Like what, sis?" Aiko asked. "If this is about those chocolate truffles from Fortune's Market..."

"Nah, not those," Yuuki replied, patting her stomach. "I'm already full up on those babies. I was thinking, maybe we could go back to floor 40 and see if that singer girl Yuna is there!"

"Yeah, apparently they're calling her the 'Song Enchanter' now," Aiko replied. "She's garnered quite the following since that day."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Nick proclaimed.

_**October 18**__**th**__**, 2023, 7:00 P.M. Aincrad Time, Jaileum, Floor 40...**_

"Aw, man, I think we just missed her," Yuuki groaned when they reached the plaza of Jaileum and saw Yuna walking away from the NPC orchestra, once again pulling Eiji with her.

Before Yuuki could move closer to ask Yuna when the next 'concert' was being held, everyone nearby heard someone shouting for help.

"S-Somebody... somebody, please help us!" the man shouted, wearing full-body leather armor and carrying a curved sword.

"Wait, did the raid team run into trouble or something?" Aiko asked.

"I'm not sure," Nick replied. "The party that used the Corridor Crystal wouldn't be coming back through the west gate, and I've definitely never seen this guy before..."

The man's armor had the look of high-class equipment meant to be used on the front lines, but it was damaged all over, no doubt due to whatever he had escaped from.

Yuuki was the first to notice that a black short spear was stabbed into the man's back.

"Oh, crapbaskets!" Yuuki gasped, dashing over to pull the spear out of the man's back. Only then did she notice that it was a weapon often carried by [Tormentor]-type monsters here on floor 40.

Which meant this hadn't been a PK, or worse, an attack by Laughing Coffin.

Before Yuuki could ask what had happened, the man beat her to the punch.

"Five of my comrades were imprisoned in the field dungeon to the west," the man gasped. "And... and they're being hounded by an army of mob monsters! Please, someone has to help them! They won't hold out much longer at this rate!"

"Sounds like another imprisonment trap," Aiko growled as she handed a spare Hi-Potion to the man. An imprisonment trap was a rather pain-in-the-neck gimmick here on floor 40 that even the Clearers had difficulty with. Usually, there was a way to disarm the trap, but that method couldn't be used unless the monsters who spawned when the trap was triggered were defeated.

"Don't you guys have any Teleport Crystals?" Yuuki asked. "You should have _at least_ one if you're fighting this high up, right?"

"If only we could," the man gasped, drawing everyone's attention. "One of the monsters that spawned hit us with a Silencing debuff, so we couldn't use _any _of our crystals! And I didn't have a Cough Potion or a Panacea on me, since we didn't expect a mob to be able to do that..."

Eiji wanted to say something along the lines of 'if you're going to fight on the front lines, at least have the decency to read the damn free strategy guide!', but he knew it was pointless now.

If what this man was saying was true, then they needed to form a rescue party and head out immediately, otherwise the five trapped players might not survive.

Of the roughly ten players who had gathered in the plaza, Eiji eyed Nick (level 52), Yuuki, and Aiko (both level 53), along with two men who wore red Japanese-style armor, which most likely meant they were part of the Clearer guild Fuurinkazan.

Eiji checked his own status window, which showed he was level 48. Despite being two levels under the recommended for this floor, he didn't really believe they'd be defeated by a mere mob of monsters.

"Can you guys come with me?" Eiji asked. The two members of Fuurinkazan nodded, and Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko all smiled. Three or four more players volunteered as well.

"Yuna, I want you to wait here, okay?" Eiji asked. "Don't worry, this shouldn't take long."

To his surprise, Yuna shook her head. "Not this time, E. I'm coming, too," Yuna responded, raising her hand to access her equipment menu. Her body flashed white for a second before she grasped her cloak and threw it off, revealing Yuna to now be wearing a vivid royal-blue one-piece dress with golden frills and buckles, a pure-white cape and lute, a pure-white feathered hat on her head, and a dagger strapped to her right waist.

"Even if I can't use a sword, I can support everyone with my songs," Yuna proclaimed. "I'm not going to get in your way."

One of the men from Fuurinkazan gasped when the pieces fell into place. "Wait, wait, you're the 'Song Enchanter', the player with the [Chant] skill everyone's been talking about lately?" he exclaimed.

"Yup," Yuna giggled.

"Oh, man, I feel better already," the other Fuurinkazan man laughed. "All right, let's go save those players!"

As the ten-player group charged towards the field dungeon, Eiji couldn't help but glance at the man who had alerted them to this crisis. Initially, Eiji had thought he could be part of a PK group like Laughing Coffin, as it was the typical MO of PKers to lure players out into the field for an attack.

But the way the man flailed about as he ran while tripping numerous times, looking so unbelievably desperate completely erased all doubts in his mind. Besides, he knew that PKers usually didn't take action on the front lines, since they were really no match for the Clearers in terms of pure fighting power.

During the trip, Eiji had snuck a peek at Yuna's stats, her window showing that she was currently at level 40. Not something she could have done through ordinary means, probably by joining farming parties on the lower floors or even solo leveling.

_Which means she's serious about joining the Clearers,_ Eiji thought.

Eiji knew he couldn't stop Yuna's determination once it got going, so he decided that he had to always be there to protect her, no matter what. And he knew there was one solid way to do that.

She would have to join the Knights of the Blood Oath.

Considering how rare the Chant skill was, Eiji didn't think that the guild's leader Heathcliff or second-in-command Asuna would have any reason to refuse. Once this rescue operation was finished, Eiji decided he was going to bring Yuna to the guild's headquarters and talk with Heathcliff about it.

_After all, if I can fight alongside Yuna, then I definitely won't be cowering when monsters are about,_ Eiji thought.

It was only about a minute more before the group came across the field dungeon in question, the ruins of a prison similar to that of the main hub town.

"This the place?" Eiji asked.

"Wait a minute," Yuuki quipped, having seen something, or rather, a _lack_ of something, that immediately put her on edge. "Where _is _everybody?"

"Oh, no, did we not make it in time?" one of the Fuurinkazan players gasped.

In the group's discussion about what might have happened, the panicked player who had led them here suddenly dropped his panicked demeanor, instead opting for an expression of gleeful malice as he drew a poisoned dagger and stabbed it through the throat of one of the players that had joined the crowd.

"Hey, dude, what's your problem?!" Eiji shouted.

"I think we've been double-crossed," Aiko proclaimed, immediately unsheathing her rapier. "Let him go, or else."

"Or else what?" the hooded player laughed as five more of his comrades burst forth from behind the pillars.

"Oh, that's not good," Yuna stated.

"It's a Laughing Coffin ambush!" the other Fuurinkazan player shouted.

"Wait, I thought you were legitimately in trouble!" Eiji proclaimed. "You didn't seem like the type who'd be a part of those scumbags!"

"Well, all of my colleagues say that my best skill is my acting," the hooded player replied, retracting his dagger from the unlucky player's throat and stabbing it into his chest, upon which the player fell limp and exploded into glowing polygons.

When the lights cleared, the first hooded player lowered his hood to reveal the face of Johnny Black.

"Oh, so _you're_ back again," Yuuki proclaimed.

"I'm actually glad the rat decided to crawl back out of the sewers," Nick laughed. "I've got quite a few bones to pick with you after what you did to me last time."

"You can save that malice for another time, boy," Johnny proclaimed. "After all, we have you right where we want you."

"So you were lying about this place?!" Yuuki growled, ready to rumble if she had to.

"Oh, there _is_ a boss here, but it's already been dealt with, so I figured it'd be the perfect place for an ambush," Johnny explained. "Your suspicions about us staying away from the front lines is usually correct, but I just wanted to have some fun."

The loud roars of nearby monsters caught the attention of all the players.

"And look at that, here comes your death," Johnny cackled. "I would like to kill you myself, but I think this is much more satisfying. I wish you the best of luck. You'll _definitely_ need it."

And with that, the Laughing Coffin players immediately retreated away from the area.

"Get back here, you _bastards_!" Nick shouted.

"Maybe save the shanking for later, Nick," Yuuki responded. "We've got a problem!"

Before Nick could ask what said problem was, a metallic sound resounded many times over, and all of the iron bars on the wall, which the group had only thought of as decorations until now, slid up to effectively cage the group inside the area.

Worse, a bunch of small monsters jumped down into the caged area one after another. They appeared to be the same type of mob monster that was the minion of the Ruthless Warder Chief , only these were wielding large, cleaver-like hatchets.

And there were a _lot_ of them, around fifteen or sixteen.

Before Eiji could start issuing commands, though, he heard a song. He turned around to see Yuna playing her lute, this time adding her beautiful singing voice to the mix.

This time around, Yuna's singing voice was more comforting, bewitching, and serene, compared to how she'd sung in the plaza. Eiji quickly felt something welling up inside him, as did everyone else present.

This wasn't the effect of a system-wide support. This was the power of Yuna's song, nothing to do with the skill.

At that moment, Eiji realized that Yuna had far more power and potential than even he had realized. She held the power to encourage the players trapped in the game, to give them hope and lead them out of despair.

A yellow icon lit up over the health bars of every player, and the few players who had taken damage fighting off other monsters on the way here slowly started to recover.

"I think that's our cue to start doing some damage," Aiko proclaimed. "Let's wipe these things out!"

The nine remaining players rushed into battle with the mobs, and for a while, things seemed to be going well.

Aiko knocked one of the tormentors away just in time to see one of them approaching Yuna. She quickly remedied this by using a Flashing Penetrator, in which Aiko lunged forward at high speeds to stab her rapier into the tormentor's back and switch its attention to her.

"Okay, hatchet boy, follow the dancing birdie!" Aiko giggled before rapidly poking the tormentor with her rapier, dancing away from each swing it tried to hit her with until the monster was gone.

Yuuki jumped over to block a hatchet that had been on a course to slice Nick in half before retaliating with an Extreme Stars that easily defeated it. Nick returned the favor by parrying the blow of another tormentor that had snuck up behind Yuuki and slashing its body three times before finishing it off with a Sonic End.

Even the two Fuurinkazan players were slashing away with their katanas while leaping back to avoid retaliation.

Despite how swiftly the group tore through the tormentors, a new one would seemingly show up for every one that was killed.

Despite the fierce battle, Eiji was weighing his options, tightly gripping the Teleport Crystal in his pouch.

He had promised to protect Yuna no matter what, and he was dead set on keeping that promise no matter what.

However, the tormentors were still appearing, and despite how well things seemed to be going, Eiji knew that, at this rate they would all be overwhelmed and obliterated.

Eiji turned to Yuna, but as if she knew what he had been planning to say, she just shook her head.

"I'll be fine, Eiji! Go save everyone!" Yuna exclaimed.

Before Eiji could call out to Yuna, she began playing her lute once again, this song brighter and more heroic than her earlier regen buff was.

_Wait, I don't think a buff is going to help us at this point,_ Eiji thought.

For one long, horrifying moment, Eiji's thoughts were still.

When the realization hit him with all the force of a wrecking ball, he had to refrain from gasping in shock and terror.

All of the remaining tormentors, about fourteen in total, had all ceased attacking their current targets...

...and turned their attention to Yuna.

It took Eiji's mind a few seconds to register that this wasn't a buff at all, but a song meant to increase the Hate value of monsters, so they would all focus on a single target.

Yuna continued to run around while singing her song as a way to keep the tormentors away from everyone else as long as she could.

Yuuki assisted by slashing at the back of one of the tormentors while it was distracted, giving Nick the opportunity to finish it off with a Rage Spike.

But still the tormentors focused on Yuna, even after her voice was interrupted, which most likely meant the mobs had cast a Silence debuff on her.

Seeing this spurred Eiji into action, kicking off of the ground to save his childhood friend before it was too late.

Even Eiji knew that he most likely wouldn't escape unscathed, charging at this many monsters all by himself. He even knew that he could die if he got caught in their attack patterns.

But if it gave him any chance to save Yuna, he would gladly take it.

The worst case scenario was that both of them would die together, but...

In that instant, Eiji's decision and resolution were betrayed by himself.

As if he'd been struck by a petrification debuff, Eiji's entire body froze in place, his legs unable to carry himself forward.

It was the same as three days ago.

_Move,_ Eiji's mind blared even as his body refused to listen. _MOVE, DAMN YOU! I'm not scared of dying, but if I can't protect Yuna, there won't be any frickin' point for me to live anymore!_

Eiji tried. Lord knows he tried, but his body would not move an inch. The sensations around him began to fade. The color drained from his vision and all sounds ceased.

Eiji saw something flying through the air, having apparently been tossed from the middle of the tightly-packed group of tormentors.

It was a small glass bottle full of colorful candies. Yuna's candies.

Somewhere in his mind, he heard the voice of the one person he treasured more than anyone else in this world.

_Eiji... I'm sorry. I guess I won't be able to cheer you up anymore, huh? But, hey, if you ever feel like you want to cry, just lick one of these and keep pressing on. Knowing you, Eiji... you'll be fine. I'm sure of it._

"YUNA!" Eiji screamed as his body finally decided to move, already drowning in despair at his failure.

"Not today, assholes!"

Eiji stopped where he was just in time to see Nick and Yuuki rushing to both sides of Yuna and lashing out with their Sword Skills to drive the tormentors back, even defeating two more of them.

The instant they decided to retreat, the tormentors followed them, as the effects of Yuna's song must have worn off.

Meanwhile, Aiko dashed over to escort Yuna to a safe spot while the rest of the players dealt with the tormentors.

With renewed determination, the player group continued attacking the tormentors until, finally, the last one fell to Yuuki's blade.

When the field was calm again, the two players from Fuurinkazan moved to disable the trap mechanism and lower the prison bars so everyone could escape.

"Okay, head count," Aiko proclaimed. "Is everyone okay?"

"Sadly, we lost one of our guys to those Laughing Coffin jerks," one of the players replied. "But other than that, no one else seems too badly hurt."

"Add him to the list of reasons Laughing Coffin's going to pay for this," Yuuki growled.

Nick looked over at Eiji and Yuna, both of them looking supremely exhausted after that ordeal. Considering Yuna had apparently planned to sacrifice herself to keep the monsters away from everyone else, no doubt Yuna was recovering from her close brush with death.

"Yuna, why?" Eiji asked.

"I couldn't just let you die, Eiji," Yuna answered. "I know it might have seemed selfish of me... but if I had to choose between me and you... I'd rather _you_ live on."

After he heard Yuna speak those words, Eiji couldn't hold his feelings in any longer. Summoning all the courage he could, he put his hands on Yuna's shoulders and leaned in to kiss her.

Yuna squeaked in shock at first, but after a second or two to process it, she closed her eyes and returned the kiss in kind.

Once the need for air became a necessity, Eiji and Yuna looked up at each other.

"Eiji? Do you...?" Yuna asked. She already knew the answer, of course, but she wanted to hear it from Eiji's mouth.

"I love you, Yuna," Eiji replied. "I'm sorry I took so long to say it, but... I just couldn't hold myself back any longer, especially when I thought I was about to lose you. I don't think I can live without you, Yuna. Just the mere _thought_ was hard enough on me."

In response, Yuna couldn't do much but smile.

"I promised you I'd always protect you, Yuna," Eiji continued. "And I intend to keep that promise, no matter what I have to do."

Yuna leaned in to poke Eiji in the chest. "Seriously, E, you're not usually one for over-the-top dramatic speeches," Yuna giggled before smiling fondly at Eiji. "You really mean it, though, don't you?"

Eiji just nodded, and Yuna decided to reward his honesty by kissing him again.

"Then... I love you, too, Eiji," Yuna responded.

"Well, what do you say, Nick?" Yuuki asked. "You think we oughta leave the lovebirds alone for now?"

"Yeah, I don't think we should be intruding on their moment," Nick replied. "Let's get back to the teleport gate."

As the entire group began making their way back towards the teleport gate, Nick couldn't help but occasionally glance at Yuuki as she talked with Aiko about this and that.

Ever since a certain moment on floor 35, namely Yuuki coming to his rescue to save him from an attack by the boss that surely would have ended his life had Yuuki not intervened, Nick realized that he had been seeing Yuuki in a very different light.

And seeing Eiji and Yuna confess their own feelings finally brought these thoughts back to the surface of his mind.

Naturally, Nick had a pretty good idea of what these feelings meant, but he knew better than to just blurt them out for everyone to hear.

After all, he wasn't sure if Yuuki even felt the same way or not.

And Nick didn't want to risk what they already had just because he wanted it to be just a little more.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Yuuki: Wow... I really can't believe it.

Aiko: Believe what, sis?

Yuuki: That we're already halfway done with the game! I didn't think it'd be gone so fast!

Aiko: Well, a year and a half does feel a lot longer when you're stuck inside a game.

Nick: Even still, I really think we need to stay on our toes from now on. I'm pretty sure that the second half of the game is going to be even tougher than everything we've faced before.

Aiko: And considering we still have the floor 50 boss to deal with, too...

Yuuki: Oh, bring it on already! I'm ready for whatever this guy can throw at us! ...Nick, you okay?

Nick: "And when darkness covered the lands, thus beget light of the heavens."

Aiko: Hehehe, why does it sound like you're quoting a proverb, Nick? I'd expect Yuu to do that before you.

Nick: Oh, hell, I think I know who the floor 50 boss is.

Yuuki: ...you do?

Nick: I guess we'll just have to wait and see if my theory's correct, next time on _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "The Lord of Light"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	4. The Lord of Light

**On Today's Episode:** The players have finally reached the halfway point of Sword Art Online, only needing to defeat the floor 50 boss to continue their journey. However, this floor boss is special compared to every other boss so far. As a figurehead in the legend of Aincrad, how will the Clearers deal with one of the Floating Castle's two guardian deities, the Lord of Light? And what is this mysterious new skill that Yuuki has learned?

Episode 4: The Lord of Light

_**January 8**__**th**__**, 2024, 5:37 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 50 Labyrinth...**_

"You'd think sunglasses were a thing in this game, because I CAN'T SEE!" Yuuki shouted.

Aiko covered the top of her eyes, reflecting just enough light to allow her to see what was creating the intense light that prevented everyone present from advancing.

"Got you!" Aiko shouted, lunging forward with a Flashing Penetrator to stab the crystal monster that was creating the light. The monster let out a disbelieving bellow before exploding into polygons and allowing the room to return to normal.

"Hey, Asuna, you were right!" Yuuki shouted. "That thing was protecting the doorway to the boss!"

"All right, everyone," Heathcliff, the commander and leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, proclaimed to the almost fifty other players that had joined the raid group today. "We stand upon the precipice of battle once again. Soon, our journey will be halfway over. Let us show the people that this game shall _not_ defeat us!"

A chorus of cheers resounded from all the players, and they all stopped to take a short break to prepare themselves for whatever lay ahead.

"So, Nick, you ready for this?" Yuuki asked, twirling her own sword in her hand.

"As I'll ever be, I guess," Nick replied. "I'm just a little worried that this one's going to be a lot tougher than the other floor bosses have been. After all, remember how many players got slaughtered by the floor 25 boss?"

"But remember, Nick, we're a lot stronger than we were then, and we've got the KoB on our side," Aiko countered. "I think we'll do okay as long as we stick together."

Nick sighed to mentally ready himself, then adopted a determined expression and unsheathed his sword while glancing at their levels. He was currently level 63, and Yuuki and Aiko were level 64.

"Thanks, girls," Nick proclaimed. "I needed that."

"No problem, buddy!" Yuuki laughed, only to squint as the raid party entered the boss room. "Agh, I thought we were _done_ with the bright lights!"

The boss arena was much larger than was typical for a floor boss, along with bright lights shining from every corner of the room, drowning the room in light not unlike the last couple labyrinth floors had been.

"Steady, everyone," Asuna proclaimed.

A few long minutes passed as the group waited for the boss to show its face.

"Um... where is it?" one player asked.

"Is it trying to ambush us?" another player wondered.

As if something had been waiting to say that, the lights around the arena dimmed, not completely going out, but at the very least allowing the raid group to see more clearly.

And that's when Nick noticed something on the walls.

It appeared to be some ancient text, like the kind found in the Legend of Aincrad, a long primer on the Floating Castle Aincrad's backstory and how it came to be in this world.

At first glance, the text Nick could see was identical to what had been written in the primer, with just a few added embellishments for dramatic flair.

But then...

"Wait, what are those things above the castle up there on the wall?" Yuuki wondered.

Nick took a closer look, taking a few steps forward for better clarity.

High above the inscription of the castle, two sphere-like entities could be seen clashing with each other. One had two angelic wings sprouting from it, and the other had bat-like wings sprouting from it.

The angelic-winged sphere was shining brightly, as if it was winning against the other sphere.

"That's... interesting," Aiko admitted.

At this close vantage point, though, Nick could now see a new set of ancient text that he hadn't originally seen in the primer.

Thankful for the game's HUD including an auto-translate feature, Nick read the new text aloud for all the players to hear.

"_As the Floating Fortress hung in the sky, it was watched over by two brothers,"_ Nick read. _"One of brightest light, and one of blackest darkness. Though tasked by the higher gods to protect the castle, the brother gods were bitter rivals, and so continuously fought each other while still delivering swift judgment to any who encroached on their territory with intent to do harm."_

A ping told Nick that his Lore Database had just been updated, most likely with the information he'd just read.

"Hey, my database just updated!" Yuuki quipped. "Is it because of that new text?"

"Maybe that's why it only updated now," Asuna theorized. "Because the missing parts of the primer might have spoiled something we weren't ready to see before this floor."

"Makes sense, considering how nuts people can get about spoilers," Aiko giggled before turning back to Nick, only to see him looking spooked, like he'd seen a ghost. "...Nick? You okay there?"

"Oh, this isn't good," Nick proclaimed. "I'm pretty sure I know who the boss of this floor is now."

"Hold on, you do?" Yuuki asked. "How did you figure... wait, _you don't mean...?!_"

Almost as if fate had been listening, the lights in the boss room increased in brightness yet again.

When a loud sound from above caught everyone's attention, Nick looked up, readying his sword for a fight, only to see a much more detailed carving of the angel-winged "brother god" on the ceiling.

And the carving was cracking in many places, as if it was trying to escape.

"Get ready, everyone!" Asuna shouted, drawing her new rapier, Lambent Light.

No sooner had the players all readied their weapons than the ceiling exploded outwards to reveal exactly what Nick had predicted.

A large, glistening silver sphere had descended from the destroyed ceiling, with eight gigantic, feathery wings coiling around the core. Each wing was colored shades of red, blue, and yellow, giving the creature a majestic look.

"Oh, lordy, Nick, you were right," Aiko gasped. "It's one of the two brother gods..."

"His Shining Majesty..." Yuuki whispered.

"The Lord of Light..." Nick stated.

"_Galeem,"_ Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko all proclaimed at the same time.

Galeem, the Lord of Light floated closer to the raid party, not doing anything in particular, but almost looking like it was expecting the players to just bum-rush it.

"Should we... should we attack it?" one player asked.

"Its core is pretty obvious," another player responded.

"I wouldn't just yet," Heathcliff proclaimed. "No doubt it intends for us to just blindly attack."

Galeem floated slightly upwards, spreading two of its front wings to charge up a large ball of light.

"SCATTER!" Aiko shouted, and any nearby players complied and dodged to the side as Galeem fired the blast, the large light orb screaming through the sky and exploding on contact with the ground.

"Ah-ha! The core's open!" one player exclaimed, drawing his two-handed sword and moving in to attack while Galeem was seemingly stunned, spinning around to strike the vulnerable core with a Cyclone, a spinning sword attack that did multiple hits worth of damage.

However, Galeem's core floated downwards to blast the player back with a barrage of blue orbs while he was locked in the post-motion delay.

"Hey, man, you okay?" Yuuki asked as she rushed over to pick the downed player up while three more rushed in to attack Galeem's core, only for two of them to be swiped away by three of its wings. This gave the third player, a curved sword user, the opportunity to attack the vulnerable core with a Fell Crescent, a downward chop attack that actually made a sizable enough dent in Galeem's first health bar.

"Ugh, that hurt..." the two-handed sword user gasped as he saw that almost half of his health had been drained by that last attack.

"Maybe you should check out for now," Yuuki replied. "Let your buddies handle this."

"Good idea," the two-handed sword user stated, getting up and moving back to join his fellow players as the tanks spread out in a tight formation, ready for whatever Galeem was going to do next.

"Stay close, okay, Yuu?" Aiko proclaimed.

"You got it, sis," Yuuki replied. "Us Sleeping Knights gotta band together, after all!"

Nick couldn't help but grin. The three of them had finally decided to form their own guild, the Sleeping Knights, after the madness of the floor 49 boss fight. Now they had something even more powerful to bond them together and ensure they would survive SAO together, as they had promised so long ago.

As Galeem again fired a bunch of blue orbs towards Asuna, she swiftly dodged each one, showing off the speed that had recently earned her the moniker of "Lightning Flash". While Galeem was recovering, Asuna lunged forward with a Shooting Star, a powerful full-body thrust attack that did four heavy hits on Galeem's core.

After Asuna leaped backwards to avoid any possible retaliation, Galeem spread all of its wings wide, and small purple lines extended from the tips of its wings to specific spots on the arena floor.

"Um, what do those lines mean?" one katana wielder asked.

"I'm not sticking around to find out!" Aiko shouted, already on the move as the purple lines erupted into violet laser beams.

"Hey, I see an opportunity!" Yuuki exclaimed. "The core's open, since it looks like it's gotta use all of its wings to do the laser barrage!"

"Then how about you and I pour it on, Yuuki?" Nick proclaimed.

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Yuuki responded.

Galeem spread its wings in different directions for more lasers, and Nick and Yuuki rushed in to attack the core.

Nick struck first with his newest Sword Skill, Brave Rondo, in which he performed an X-shaped cross slash, followed by a leaping uppercut slash, and finishing with three spinning slashes.

Yuuki followed up with a Deadly Sins, starting with a diagonal slash from the top-right to the bottom-left, with Yuuki making a full circle spin, drawing her sword backwards in the middle of the spin in preparation for the next attack. This led to a second diagonal slash from the bottom-right to top-left, followed by a horizontal slash from left to right. Yuuki then did an upward vertical slash, performing a backwards somersault, followed by a horizontal slash from right to left and another full circle spin, which led to a diagonal slash from the bottom-right to the top-left, stopping at face height.

"Yuuki, watch out!" Aiko shouted, as Galeem was now aiming lasers for Yuuki.

From her position, Yuuki finished her skill by spinning her sword in a full circle, striking Galeem's core from her right side. This last slash did enough damage to empty Galeem's first health bar and interrupt the laser attack as Galeem dipped backwards, its wings shuddering.

"One down!" an axe-wielding player shouted. "Oh, yeah!"

The axe-wielder charged in, hoping to get in at least a bit of damage before Galeem began the second phase, only for Galeem's core to vanish and its wings to expand outwards. The axe-wielder stopped in place as a column of light surrounded him, surprisingly not doing damage...

...only to look up in confusion as he saw a glowing version of himself now standing in front of him.

"What the _hell_?!" the axe-wielder gasped, swinging his axe to hit his light clone with a Double Cleave attack. "Yeah, you don't scare me!"

Just then, the light clone lunged for the axe-wielder, and even as he prepared for another strike...

...the light clone self-destructed when in point-blank range, cutting off the axe-wielder's scream. When the explosion settled, all that remained of the axe-wielder was a cloud of glowing polygons.

"Did... did that clone just self-destruct and kill him?!" Yuuki gasped.

No one had any time to gather their wits, as Galeem had just returned to the battlefield, its wings once again coiling around its core.

"You're going to pay for that!" the two-handed sword user from earlier bellowed, charging back into the fray.

"Dude, get back here!" Nick shouted too late.

Galeem shook two of its wings and created a small field of six small spheres around itself. As the two-handed sword user got close enough, the spheres detonated into plus-shaped energy blasts that stunned the player long enough for Galeem to stab one of its wings through the player's chest, draining the last of his health. He could only futilely clutch his sword as his body exploded into glowing polygons.

"Why, you little..." Aiko growled.

"Tanks, stay in formation! He's approaching us!" Heathcliff bellowed as he stepped forward. Galeem fired another large energy sphere towards him, but Heathcliff simply raised his tower shield to block the blast.

"Wow," Yuuki quipped. "Heathcliff is really something else, isn't he?"

"Master of the Divine Blade," Nick replied. "It's odd to say, but I think he might be the strongest player in the game."

"As long as we have him by our side, I think we've got a pretty good shot at clearing this game," Aiko admitted.

Thankfully, Galeem didn't seem to introduce any new attacks during this phase, opting to stick to slightly stronger versions of its current attacks. After about ten more minutes of battle, Aiko stabbed Galeem's core with a Flashing Penetrator that drained the last of its second health bar and caused it to fly back slightly, its wings trembling.

"Halfway there, everybody! Let's keep it up!" Asuna shouted. "We can do this!"

Galeem spread its wings, causing columns of light to surround Nick and Yuuki, and just like before, light clones of themselves appeared to attack them.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Yuuki taunted, knocking her own clone back with a Round Break while Nick sent his own clone stumbling with a Sonic Leap.

The clones leaped for them, but Nick and Yuuki dodged to either side, and the clones self-destructed harmlessly out of range.

"Ah, so it made _two_ this time?" Yuuki quipped as she slashed multiple times at Galeem's prone core.

"Guess that means we gotta deal with three of them once it hits the final phase," Aiko replied as she and Asuna both struck with a Quadruple Pain.

Galeem floated into the air, opened its wings slightly, and created four orbs in front of itself.

"All right, what is it doing _now_?!" a katana player shouted.

Galeem answered by detonating the first orb, which erupted into a large shockwave of light that covered the entire arena floor, paralyzing everyone except Heathcliff and Yuuki, who had instinctively raised their swords to block the blast.

"What the heck was _that_?!" Yuuki shouted.

"I believe we should not let it detonate another one," Heathcliff proclaimed. "God only knows what another one of those shockwaves would do to us."

Heathcliff charged into battle, drawing his sword from the sheath on his tower shield and lunging to attack the core with a Sharp Nail, consisting of an upward right to left diagonal slash, followed by a left to right horizontal slash, and ending with a downward right to left diagonal slash.

Yuuki switched out with Heathcliff to hit Galeem's core with a Serration Wave, and even though it barely did any damage, the strike did inflict Bind on Galeem, stopping its movements for a short time.

"Hey, damage boys! Get in here and give it everything you've got!" Yuuki shouted.

Once they were sure the paralysis had worn off, four sword wielders marched forward alongside Nick and Aiko to attack Galeem's vulnerable core while the Bind effect still persisted.

The Bind only lasted a total of thirty seconds, but the players had managed to drain Galeem's third bar to close to half with the time they'd been given.

Yuuki finished her own Sword Skill, only to notice another orb was flashing.

"EVERYONE, BLOCK!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Everyone nearby raised their weapons into a defensive maneuver as Galeem detonated the second orb, the shockwave passing through them (as it affected the entire room), but thanks to everyone guarding, they only suffered small damage and slight pushback.

Galeem floated back and split its core into three smaller spheres that fired off a barrage of light balls towards the player group closest to it.

The players all dove in different directions to avoid the barrage while Heathcliff moved in and actually slammed his tower shield into Galeem's core once it reformed, doing quite a bit of damage.

Nick switched out and battered the core with a Sonic End, followed by Yuuki switching in and unleashing an Extreme Stars, taking advantage of every window of opportunity they were given.

It wasn't much longer before Galeem's third health bar was drained by way of Heathcliff once again bashing the core with his tower shield. Galeem spun around in midair, its wings spiraling around the core, until the core started shining with an otherworldly glow. A small sphere of light dropped to the floor before expanding outwards to cover the entire room.

"Um, commander, sir? I can't use a Healing Crystal anymore!" one of the tanks exclaimed, as he had taken serious damage from Galeem's earlier Lens Flare attack and was about to use a crystal to heal, only to have his use of the crystal cut off by the glow now surrounding the room.

"Oh, crapbaskets," Yuuki gasped. "That could only mean that Galeem just turned this room into an Anti-Crystal Zone!"

Anti-Crystal Zones, as the name implied, prevented the use of any kind of crystal until the boss in question was defeated. Many players considered it the worst kind of middle finger to their only lifelines in battle.

"Guess that means we're going to have to step it up," Aiko proclaimed.

Galeem spread its wings outwards and surrounded the outer edge of the arena with a spiraling wave of light energy.

"Wait, is it trying to trap us?" a rapier wielder asked as she tentatively touched the light barrier. It didn't knock her back like she expected, but the longer she was touching the wave, the more health she lost.

"Oh, _that's_ just not nice," Yuuki groaned.

"Damn thing's trying to box us in," Nick growled.

Galeem responded by creating three more light clones of nearby players which were thankfully easily dealt with, as they didn't have much health.

"All right, bulb boy," Yuuki taunted. "What other tricks do you have up your HOLY CRAP!"

That last was brought on when Galeem unfurled four of its wings and turned them into drill-like appendages that pierced into the ground where Yuuki had just been a split-second ago.

_Even I couldn't see that attack coming,_ Heathcliff thought. _And she dodged it so easily..._

"Oh, wow, that was close," Yuuki gasped. "Did _not _want to become swiss cheese today..."

After gathering her wits, Yuuki rushed in to attack, glad that Galeem needed a couple seconds to recover after most of its attacks.

"We'll back you up, Yuuki!" someone shouted as three more one-hand sword players ran alongside her to attack Galeem's core.

"Thanks, guys!" Yuuki exclaimed as the four of them began to wail on Galeem's core.

While they kept attacking, Galeem lifted two of its wings and slashed them inwards. Yuuki barely had time to duck under the attack.

"Hey, you guys..." Yuuki asked, only to stop and gaze in shock as all she saw were clouds of glowing polygons where her allies had just been. "...w-what just happened?!"

"Those three were at full health before they got hit," Asuna gasped.

"Oh, man, Yuu was _incredibly lucky,_" Aiko sighed.

"Why, you dirty, rotten orb thing!" Yuuki growled, striking Galeem's core with a Vertical Square, where her slashes traced the shape of a, well, vertical square.

Yuuki was delighted to see the Heavy Paralysis effect kick in and lock Galeem in place.

"Go to town, everybody!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Seeing their chance to end the fight, the DPS players rushed in to strike together, while the remaining tanks stayed close behind just in case Galeem broke out of the effect early.

With everyone working together, and Galeem under the Heavy Paralysis effect, Galeem's health bar was finally brought to its absolute limit.

However, the Heavy Paralysis effect ended sooner than expected, as the group had feared, and Galeem rose to detonate the last of its Lens Flare bombs.

"I don't think so, light bulb!" Nick shouted, switching out with Yuuki to finish the fight with a Savage Fulcrum, in which he performed a right-to-left horizontal slash, followed by rotating his sword ninety degrees and performing a vertical slash from bottom to top, and finishing with a full-powered downward slash, tracing the number 4.

Galeem's core began shuddering as its wings began spiraling around it, eventually constricting around the core before disintegrating into glowing feathers that blasted outwards in all directions. The core fell silent, cracks adorning it, before falling to the arena floor and exploding violently into a cloud of glowing polygons.

The "CONGRATULATIONS!" message appeared above the arena floor as the Anti-Crystal Zone faded and the light wave vanished into nothingness.

"Holy lightbulbs, that was one heck of a battle," Yuuki sighed as she collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.

"Guess this is the point where the game's really gonna stop holding back on us," Aiko noted. "But look at it like this. If we got this far, it won't be much longer before we can finish this game and go home."

"Head count!" Asuna shouted once all the remaining players had gathered. "How many casualties?"

"Six players died during the fight," a katana wielder answered.

"If this keeps up, man, we might not have enough players to fight the final boss by the time we get to that point," an axe wielder sighed.

"Hey, don't think those thoughts!" a dagger wielder shot back. "Remember what Yuuki said back on floor one, so long ago? If we let ourselves be consumed by the bad thoughts, it'll only hinder us!"

"Right!" Aiko responded. "We should just focus on clearing the game and making sure as many people as possible survive! I know it's gonna be tricky, what with the game getting harder and more devious, but we've made it _this_ far, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," the axe-wielder proclaimed. "We owe it to everyone that this game has taken from us, and to everyone who's still waiting for us to come home!"

Nick looked surprisingly melancholy at the mention of the word "home", taking a few steps away from the larger group to think.

"Hey, is Nick okay?" Aiko wondered.

"I'll go talk to him," Yuuki answered. "I think I know what's eating him."

With that, Yuuki broke off from the group as well.

Nick glanced up at the ceiling that had once held Galeem, now just a normal stone ceiling, as he thought about what exactly was troubling him.

_Everyone who's still waiting for us to come __**home**__,_ Nick thought. _Are they still worried about me? I couldn't bear thinking of __**that**__ possibility..._

"SURPRISE!" Yuuki exclaimed, jumping onto Nick to snap him out of his funk.

"Holy crapbaskets, Yuuki, don't scare me like that!" Nick gasped.

"Sorry, you weren't really paying attention," Yuuki replied. "So, what's up? Everything okay there, mister?"

Nick sighed, knowing he really couldn't slip anything past Yuuki. "You're too good at this, Yuuki," Nick responded. "Honestly, when that axe guy said we owe our victory to everyone who's waiting for us to come home, it just made me a little sad to think about my family..."

"You never really talk much about your family," Yuuki stated. "Wanna elaborate?"

Nick hesitated for a second, knowing that it wasn't always the best idea to bring one's personal life into their game life, but at the same time, he knew that Yuuki wasn't the type to take advantage of something like that.

"...well, it's mostly just me, my mom, and my sister," Nick explained as he and Yuuki sat down next to each other. "My father passed away when I was really young, so I don't remember much of him. My mom's done so much to raise me and my sister despite his passing. She's really a wonderful mother. Then there's my sister Melissa. She's a sweet girl, but she's also just as much of a gamer as I am. I still remember the time we dominated that Super Smash Bros. tournament last year."

Nick sighed in distress. "It's just... almost every moment when I'm not fighting or hanging out with you and Aiko, I'm worrying about how they're taking the fact that a member of their family hasn't woken up in almost two years... do they even miss me after all of this?"

Nick finally allowed a tear to fall, only for Yuuki to catch it before it could hit the ground.

"Of _course_ they miss you, Nick," Yuuki answered. "I'm sure there's thousands and thousands of families who are worried sick about their kids possibly being trapped in this nightmare. I assure you, they're worried sick, just like I'm sure _my_ mom and dad are. But remember, Nick, we're going to beat this game. That's the promise you, me, and Aiko made to each other, remember? That we'd never give up hope and bring this game down so we can return to our families."

Nick couldn't help but smile. "There you go again with the philosophical speeches, huh?"

"Guess Aiko's been rubbing off on me, huh?" Yuuki laughed, only to gasp in surprise when Nick leaned over and hugged her.

"But seriously, Yuuki, thank you for telling me what I needed to hear," Nick stated. "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's having these thoughts, but it just feels really nice that I've got friends here who can pick me up when I'm feeling down. I don't think I could ever thank you enough for that."

"Awww, you," Yuuki giggled as she hugged Nick back. "Always happy to just be a friend when you need one."

"Okay, little miss hugbear," Aiko teased. "I think everyone's going to leave you two behind if you stay there."

"Ack, they're leaving us in the dust again?!" Yuuki shouted. "Come on, Nick, let's catch up to them!"

"Probably a good idea," Nick replied.

The three Sleeping Knights rushed to the Teleport Gate, ready to move on to the second half of the game.

"Teleport: Centorea!" the trio shouted.

_**January 9**__**th**__**, 7:23 P.M. Japan Time, Office of the SAO Task Force...**_

"Thank you all for coming," Seijirou Kikuoka proclaimed, as he always did, to the many people sitting before him. "Once again, I have called you here to update you on the players' progress in clearing Sword Art Online."

Many of the concerned citizens here were whispering to each other about various concerns, so Kikuoka tapped the nearby viewscreen to catch everyone's attention.

"Now that I have your eyes and ears on me, please direct your attention to the screen," Kikuoka stated, the viewscreen cycling through photos taken from the recent battles in SAO. "Just yesterday, the Clearers were able to complete the fiftieth floor of Aincrad, which means they are halfway through the game."

"But how many more bodies are we going to have by the end of this?!" one concerned father exclaimed. "Over three and a half _thousand_ people are already dead!"

"Hey, settle down, honey," the man's wife responded. "I know this isn't the ideal scenario, but we have no control over what happens, and I can only assume it's going to get harder from here."

"Thankfully, it seems like there were very few casualties during the floor 50 boss fight, about six, according to records," Kikuoka explained. "That is because Galeem, the Lord of Light, being what is called a 'quarterly boss', which is a term for the bosses of floors 25, 50, 75, and 100 being much stronger than a normal boss."

As Kikuoka continued to cycle through the pictures, one particular instance caught the eye of a teenage girl with brown hair and violet eyes.

It was a photo of Nick using a Savage Fulcrum to deal the final blow on Galeem.

"N-Nick?!" the girl gasped.

"You know this player, miss?" Kikuoka asked.

"T-that's my big brother!" the girl exclaimed. "I had no idea he was part of the Clearers!"

"Melissa, dearie, calm down, please," Melissa's mother stated.

"Yes, it seems he has only joined recently, after forming a small guild with these two players," Kikuoka continued, now shifting to a photo of Nick standing with the Konno sisters.

"That would be something big bro would do," Melissa admitted. "He'd fight to the bitter end to help everyone out."

"Sounds like Nick will be okay," Melissa's father stated. "I don't think you have to worry anymore."

"I know, but I'm still going to worry regardless," Melissa replied, holding her hands over her heart. "After all, if this is the point where life in the game is only going to get harder for everyone, then I've got a bad feeling that Sword Art Online hasn't shown its hand just yet..."

_Please, big bro, wherever you are, stay safe for me... after all, I love you, and I can't wait to see you and your new friends when you make it out..._

_**February 12**__**th**__**, 2024, 2:16 P.M. Aincrad Time, the Forest of Wandering, Floor 35...**_

"I wonder why Yuuki sounded so secretive," Nick wondered as he came out into the entrance of the Forest of Wandering, where Yuuki had said she'd be waiting for him. "It almost sounded like she discovered something no one can ever see, like those old mobster movies..."

After checking around to make sure no one else was snooping around, Nick slowly stepped forward, making sure he had easy access to his sword just in case.

"Yuuki?" Nick called out. "You there?"

"Over here, Nick!" Yuuki exclaimed, waving to him from under the shade of a nearby giant oak tree. There were many such giant trees in this field dungeon that provided easy cover. "Good to see you made it."

"Okay, spill, Yuuki," Nick stated. "What's the big surprise that you wanted to tell me, but nobody else?"

"Well, honestly, it'd be a lot easier if I showed you," Yuuki answered. "Come on, let's get going through the forest and I'll show you. Don't worry, I won't keep you in suspense much longer."

Still curious as to what Yuuki wanted to show him, Nick drew his blade and followed Yuuki into the first area of the forest, still thankful they had a map for this accursed place.

It wasn't too long before the two of them encountered a small pack of Drunk Apes, upright-standing ape monsters that were fairly common here in the Forest of Wandering.

"Oh, the company arrived!" Nick proclaimed, bringing his Star Saber into a fighting stance.

"All right, now don't get too weirded out, okay?" Yuuki stated before rushing the Drunk Apes. As she drew closer, she unsheathed her sword, the Diamond Cleaver, to attack...

...then she raised her free hand and, to Nick's surprise, summoned _another_ sword to said hand. This sword, the Elucidator, was a pitch black sword with trims of gray, with a black hilt connected to a hand guard that dropped down on the right side, a long black blade outlined in gray, and an elongated hand-guard, no doubt to aid its user in keeping their grip on the sword.

Nick didn't even have time to say anything as Yuuki went to town on the Drunk Apes, easily dodging their mace swings with her superior reflexes and cutting them to pieces with both of her swords. The Drunk Apes almost had no idea what had hit them before they eventually exploded into clouds of glowing polygons.

Once it was all over, Yuuki looked back at Nick, wondering how he was taking it.

"So... is that weird or anything?" Yuuki wondered.

"Yuuki... that... THAT WAS AWESOME!" Nick exclaimed.

"Ehehehe... glad you liked it," Yuuki giggled.

"So, is that, like, some kind of subdivision of One-Handed Sword skills?" Nick asked.

Yuuki shuffled nervously before swiping her finger to open the skills directory. "That's the weirdest thing, Nick, and the reason I asked just you to come here," Yuuki answered. "I have _no clue at all._ The [Dual Blades] skill just showed up in my skill list one day, and I have absolutely no idea how I got it. And [Dual Blades] isn't anywhere in the skill directory, either, so that just got me even more confused."

"You think that maybe it's a secret skill?" Nick asked. "I know games like this that have uber-secret skills and abilities that aren't listed anywhere in directories, some of which old-school gamers had to use guides just to figure out how to get or use them. Maybe this is one of them?"

"You can probably understand why I want to keep this a secret," Yuuki continued. "If people found out that I have a unique skill that no one else does, it could potentially spell a lot of trouble."

"_Does_ anyone else know about it?" Nick wondered.

"Apart from you, only Aiko," Yuuki answered. "So... can you keep this a secret, Nick?"

Nick could only smile as he walked up to pat Yuuki on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Yuuki, I don't know if I've told you this, but one thing my friends and family really like about me is that, when I make a promise, I keep it, no matter what," Nick responded. "So, yes, Yuuki, you can count on me to keep your secret until whenever you decide is best to talk about it. That's a promise."

"Awww, thanks, Nick," Yuuki replied, sheathing her swords and moving over to hug Nick. "You're really awesome, you know that?"

"I've been told," Nick teased. "Now come on, let's get out of here before this forest turns us back around again."

"No kidding," Yuuki giggled as she re-drew her swords to cut down another Drunk Ape that tried to sneak up on them. "I'm still trying to forget the last time we got stuck in this place."

"Ooh, let's _not _dredge up those old memories, please," Nick groaned as he leaped to slash at another Drunk Ape.

As Nick and Yuuki continued to cut down Drunk Apes in hopes of finding an exit, they had no clue that they were being watched by a curious girl with lavender hair and violet eyes.

_**February 14**__**th**__**, 2024, 12:37 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 55, Grandzam...**_

"Once again, Asuna, I gotta say I'm impressed," Yuuki proclaimed. "It's been _how_ long since we got to floor 55 and your boys have already set up shop? You work fast, you know that?"

"Well, we had to find a new place, after all," Asuna admitted. "Our old headquarters was getting far too crowded to hold us all comfortably."

Asuna and Yuuki were currently in the dead center of Grandzam, the main settlement of floor 55, staring at the magnificent castle-like building that now served as the main headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"You certainly picked a bomb place for the new digs," Yuuki giggled. "You'll have to let me sleep over sometime!"

Asuna couldn't help but laugh at Yuuki's forwardness. "I'll have to see what the commander thinks of that," Asuna stated. "You know how Heathcliff usually is."

"Oh, he doesn't _have_ to be all business all the time!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Doesn't he ever take a break from time to time? You know, just... I don't know, take in a nice meal like the stuff at Fortune's Market?"

"You know, Yuuki, with all the times you talk about Fortune's Market, you make it sound like it's the best restaurant you've ever been to, virtual or not," Asuna teased.

"Honestly, I think it is!" Yuuki admitted. "I wouldn't be surprised if the guys and gals who run Fortune's Market are extremely good cooks in real life, too. It would explain how they were able to level up their cooking skills so quickly, and that's _not_ easy to do in SAO! Ooh, if there's a Fortune's Market back home, I'm going there for a meal the _instant_ I'm back on my feet!"

Asuna chuckled just as Nick and Aiko ran over to greet them, having just returned from a material gathering mission in the West Mountain. "Good to see you guys again," Asuna stated.

"Sorry we're late, Yuu," Aiko proclaimed. "Those freakin' Frozen Bone things were _relentless_."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Yuuki asked.

Aiko smiled proudly before unsheathing her new weapon, the Icicle Spear rapier, which was a rapier with a blade made entirely of crystalline ice, despite no elements being present in gameplay. (Nick believed it was just for the cool, pardon the pun, visual effect.)

"Took _forever_ to find one with the right material, but it's a good thing Nick was there to cut 'em all down for me," Aiko laughed.

"Hey, they're pretty weak individually, but their spawn rates are just _ridiculous_," Nick sighed. "And I'm just glad that the dragon boss that apparently lives there didn't show its ugly mug there, otherwise we might have been in some deep trouble."

"And of course I hear you talking about Fortune's Market again, you silly," Aiko proclaimed.

"Hey, if they have something similar back IRL, we should all go there when we get out of this game!" Yuuki exclaimed.

Just then, Nick realized a possible impediment to that idea.

"Um, girls?" Nick asked, catching the eyes of both Yuuki and Aiko. "I don't know if we'd even be in the same _city_, let alone the same country... after all, you're Japanese, right?"

"Well, _yeah_, but we're actually in America right now," Yuuki answered.

"Yeah, our parents work for a pretty big technology company back in Yokohama, but they had to come to America for a business trip," Aiko continued. "We were all set to head back soon after that, but then SAO happened, so..."

"So, there's a chance we could actually meet up IRL when this is all over!" Yuuki giggled. "That'd be awesome, right?"

Nick's answer was cut off when someone came running through the crowd, looking incredibly disheveled and frantic.

"Please! Someone, please help me!" the man gasped, hoping someone would listen to him.

"Hey, I think he's in trouble," Aiko stated.

"Let's go see what he's got to say!" Yuuki exclaimed.

The three Sleeping Knights rushed over to speak to the man. "Excuse me, mister, but what's the problem here?" Nick asked.

"Oh, thank goodness someone is willing to hear me out," the man proclaimed. "I'm the leader of the Silver Flags, and... and my guild was just wiped out."

"W-wait, you mean _killed_?!" Yuuki gasped.

"By who?" Aiko wondered.

"Those cruel monsters that call themselves Titan's Hand," the man growled. "I've been searching the front lines for days, hoping someone would help me take them down to avenge my guild..."

"What do you want _us_ to do?" Nick asked before being handed a large crystal by the man.

"I spent everything I had left on this Corridor Crystal," the man stated. "I set it to the coordinates of the Black Iron Prison on floor one. I want you three to use it and send those monsters to jail where they belong."

"Well, then consider it done," Yuuki proclaimed. "We won't let those jerks get away with what they've done."

"We still have one question, though," Aiko quipped. "Can you give us any information on Titan's Hand? You know, so we at least have some idea of who we're looking for?"

And so, as the man began to explain to them, they were again unaware of the strange lavender-haired girl watching them from afar.

That is, until Nick subconsciously turned in her direction, and she squeaked softly before bolting.

"What's up, Nick?" Yuuki asked.

"Not sure," Nick admitted. "Maybe I'm just seeing things."

_Yeah, that's a lie,_ Nick thought. _Someone's watching us._

Though, Nick reasoned that if this mysterious watcher was going to do something, they'd have already done so, and considering you couldn't hurt players in a town...

Regardless, Nick resolved to keep an eye out for this player. Even if his Detection skill was reasonably high, this player could have countermeasures against it.

And considering everything that had happened with Laughing Coffin lately, Nick was wise to be cautious.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Yuuki: Why, pray tell, are we going _back_ to the Forest of Wandering? Need I remind you of how much I HATE that place?!

Silica: SOMEONE HELP ME!

Nick: _That's_ why.

Aiko: Hey, you okay?

Silica: I... I'm so sorry, Pina...

Yuuki: Oh, man, did she lose her familiar? That's gotta hurt. It almost feels like losing a pet... remember Lucky?

Aiko: He was the best cat ever.

Silica: You... you'd help me?

Nick: Of course, Silica. We're good people who would never leave a crying girl to herself. If there's anything we can do to help you, then we'll do it on the next episode of _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "Eye to Eye, Hand in Hand"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	5. Eye to Eye, Hand in Hand

**On Today's Episode:** The Sleeping Knights comes across a player in the Forest of Wandering who has just lost her familiar to the monsters of the forest. After deciding to help Silica revive Pina, they quickly learn that they're being followed by a strange pack of players. Could this be the same Titan's Hand that the Sleeping Knights were warned about, or could something _worse_ be waiting in the wings?

Episode 5: Eye to Eye, Hand in Hand

_**February 23**__**rd**__**, 2024, 4:26 P.M. Aincrad Time, The Forest of Wandering...**_

"Honestly, Silica, why should we have to share these healing crystals with you?" Rosalia laughed, as if the reasoning humored her. "After all, your pet lizard has healing powers, right?"

Silica didn't like the way Rosalia had worded that, and, if the look on her familiar was any indication, neither did Pina. "But you never fight on the front lines," Silica countered. "So you're one to talk!"

Rosalia twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "Well, duh," Rosalia replied. "You're the popular one in this party, you know, Silica. Do you honestly expect the boys to come and help me when _I _need help?"

Two of the other members of the party chanced a glance at Silica to see how she was taking it, and immediately regretted it, because if she was frustrated before, Rosalia's latest crack had made her _angry_.

"Oh, come on, Rosalia, go easy on the poor girl," the third member of the party stated. "You _know _it's not like that, right?"

But too late. Silica had finally had enough.

"You know what, I don't care anymore," Silica proclaimed, opening a trade window to send Rosalia the items she'd wanted. "You want my items, then go ahead and take them. But I'm through teaming up with all of you. I'm sure there's lots of other players who would _love_ to have me on their side."

Before the guys could think up a way to placate her, Silica had turned on her heel and stormed off in the opposite direction, Pina not far behind her.

"Wait, Silica! Come back!" the first player shouted.

"At least let us take you back to town!" the second player exclaimed. "This forest is still a nutty maze!"

But Silica didn't listen, already angry enough.

But when Silica looked back on this moment in the future, she would wish she'd at least listened to _that_ request...

_**February 23**__**rd**__**, 2024, 7:13 P.M. Aincrad Time, The Forest of Wandering...**_

"Okay, does anyone wanna tell me what we're doing back in the Forest of Wandering after we were _just there_ the other day?!" Yuuki groaned as she swung Elucidator to cut down yet another Dire Tulip that had been bearing down on them. "You both know that I don't really like this place, what with its maze design and _utterly stupid and dumb dead ends!_"

"I understand, Yuu," Aiko giggled as she stabbed the Dire Tulip to finally finish it off. "I don't like this place any more than you, to be completely frank. But at least _this_ time, we've got a valid reason to be here."

"We do?" Yuuki wondered. "I thought we were looking for Titan's Hand."

"Exactly," Nick answered. "The info that Silver Flags guy gave us said that the leader of Titan's Hand was last seen here. We're trying to find out if they left any trail for us to follow so we can take care of them."

"Of all the places, why did it have to be _here_?!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Why the most _dumb_ and _stupid _and _stupid _and _dumb_ game mechanic EVER?! People didn't like it when Ocarina of Time pulled that kind of dumb with the Lost Woods!"

"...I didn't mind it," Aiko admitted.

Before Yuuki could counter, she heard the sounds of battle coming from the west, alongside what seemed like a loud screeching.

"Sounds like trouble," Aiko proclaimed.

"Let's go check it out, you guys," Yuuki stated.

The three Sleeping Knights drew their weapons and charged off towards the source of the disturbance.

Silica leaped away from the club of another Drunk Ape even as Pina flew over and sprayed her with a green mist that recovered most of the damage she'd just taken, even if it only brought her health bar back to just over half.

Instinctively, Silica reached for her back pocket, only to find it empty. She was out of Healing Crystals, and really starting to regret her decision to give up her items earlier.

The lead Drunk Ape swung hard, catching Silica in the chest and slamming her into the nearby tree. When she hit the ground again, she saw that her health was back in the red zone.

"What do I do now?" Silica wondered, only to hear the whooshing sound of the Drunk Apes attacking again. She looked up, only to see one of the Drunk Apes readying its club to finish her off.

Silica braced herself for the end...

...but the attack never actually struck her.

When Silica chanced a look back up, she wished she hadn't.

Pina had taken the blow for her and was lying on the ground, its health completely depleted.

"N-No! Pina!" Silica shouted, finally finding the feeling in her legs and rushing over to cradle Pina in her arms. "P-Please don't leave me, Pina..."

Pins simply crowed in a way that sounded like "it's okay" before exploding into a cloud of glowing polygons. All that remained of Pina was a small, glowing feather.

And then, something in Silica's mind snapped.

Letting out a loud cry of rage, Silica jumped to her feet and recklessly charged the Drunk Ape that had killed Pina, actually managing to kill it by stabbing her dagger into its chest and wrenching it upwards.

However, this gave the other two Drunk Apes and opening, and one of them kicked her back into the tree. The other raised its club to finish Silica off, only for both Drunk Apes to freeze in their spots, looks of pain crossing their faces.

Despite her daze, Silica looked up just as the two Drunk Apes exploded into glowing polygons, revealing that Nick had cut down one of them, and Yuuki and Aiko had teamed up to bring the other down.

Once the immediate area was calm again, Silica finally began crying, picking up the feather that Pina had left behind.

"P-Please, Pina... don't leave me alone..." Silica cried.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, miss, what's that feather?" Yuuki asked.

"It's... it's Pina," Silica answered. "She was... my best friend..."

"Oh, you're a beast tamer, aren't you?" Aiko realized.

"I'm really sorry we couldn't have gotten here sooner," Nick sighed. "Maybe we could have saved her."

"N-No, it's my own fault," Silica admitted. "I was dumb to think I could make it through this forest all by myself..."

Yuuki would have noted that this was the reason she hated this place, but knew that now wasn't the time for that.

"T-thank you for saving me," Silica sobbed. "I'm sure you did everything you could..."

Suddenly, Nick had an idea. "Hey, check that feather and see if it has an item name attached to it," Nick stated. Silica did so, tapping the feather to open up an information window over it that read "Pina's Heart".

This only seemed to make Silica even sadder, however.

"Don't worry," Nick replied. "If there's an item name, then that means Pina's heart is still there. There's a chance you could revive her."

"R-Really?" Silica asked.

"Of course," Yuuki responded. "On the south side of floor 47, there's this really cool field dungeon called the Hill of Memories, and I heard through the grapevine that the flower that grows at the very top of it can actually revive familiars."

"Floor 47, huh?" Silica asked nobody in particular. She glanced at her own HUD, where her health bar also read that she was currently at level 45.

"We could take you there, if you want," Aiko offered. "The thing is, the flower won't actually bloom unless the familiar's master is there."

Silica stood up as Nick offered her a spare Healing Crystal that she used to bring herself back to full health. "Thank you so much for telling me about it," Silica stated. "I know if I work hard and get stronger, I can see Pina again someday."

"...about that," Nick replied. "See, the time limit to revive familiars is three days."

Silica froze upon hearing that.

"Hey, like I said, you don't have to worry," Nick proclaimed, opening his menu to offer a trade window to Silica with a Ebon Dagger, Silverthread Armor, Moon Blazer, Fairy Boots, and a Florit Belt. "Here, take this equipment. It should boost you about five or six levels. And if we tag along, I'm sure everything will work out."

"Nankurunaisa," Yuuki and Aiko proclaimed together. That word, 'nankurunaisa', basically meaning 'everything will work out', initially just a word that their mother had said to them a lot, had recently become the official motto of the Sleeping Knights.

As Silica accepted the trade offer, she really only had one question remaining. "But... why would you do all of this for me?" Silica wondered.

"Honestly?" Yuuki replied. "We saw you were in trouble, and we helped you. Simple as that."

Despite everything, Silica couldn't help but smile. "Thank you _so much_," Silica stated. "Um, I know this probably isn't enough col to pay you all back, but..."

"Ah, don't worry about a thing," Yuuki responded. "Besides, it works with why we're here. It feels like we'll be helping each other out!"

"Okay, then," Silica answered. "My name's Silica, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Silica," Nick replied, reaching out to shake Silica's hand. "My name's Nick, never one for player names, honestly. And that's Yuuki, and her sister Aiko."

"We're the Sleeping Knights!" Yuuki proclaimed.

Silica couldn't help but giggle at the bombastic way that Yuuki had said that.

"Was that... too cheesy?" Yuuki wondered.

_**February 23**__**rd**__**, 2024, 8:00 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 35, Mishe...**_

The lights of Mishe, the main settlement of floor 35, still shined down upon the city even this late.

Silica couldn't help but gasp in awe at how beautiful the city looked.

"Hey, Silica!"

Silica stopped in place so she could turn around and see who had called her name. It turned out to be two of the players in her previous party before she'd stormed off.

"Hey, we're glad you're okay," the first player stated. "We were getting worried when you didn't say anything to us."

"Say, you wanna team up with us? We'll take you anywhere you want to go," the second player asked.

"Well, that's very nice of you to offer, but..." Silica replied, trying to think of a way to shake them off for the moment. She knew they meant well, but these two tended to be a little overbearing just because she was a bit younger than most players currently in the game.

Acting on instinct, she reached out to grab Nick's hand. "...I've already sorta agreed to party up with these people," Silica stated.

The two players suddenly glared at Nick with seemingly murderous intent as Nick and Silica walked away, Yuuki and Aiko not too far behind.

"W-what?" Nick stuttered. "Is there something on my face?"

"Sorry," Silica stated. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

"Didn't know you had a fanbase," Yuuki giggled.

"You must be pretty popular, huh, Silica?" Aiko asked.

"...it's not what you think," Silica answered. "They don't take me seriously at all. They just want me to be their mascot because I have a familiar. They started calling me 'The Dragon Tamer'... and I guess it all went to my head."

Nick stopped to put his hand on Silica's head. "Hey, like I said, there's no need to worry," Nick stated. "We'll get Pina back. I promise."

"That's something people really like about Nick," Yuuki proclaimed. "When he makes a promise, he'll _never_ break it, no matter what!"

Silica smiled again, glad she had new friends to cheer her up.

"Do the three of you live around here?" Silica asked.

"Actually, right now, our current abode is on floor 55," Nick answered. "That's pretty far from here, teleport gate or no, so we were thinking of getting some rooms here for tonight."

"Hey, how about I take you all out for some cheesecake?" Silica offered. "I know this wonderful place around here that makes the best cheesecake _ever_!"

"Remind me to introduce this girl to Fortune's Market sometime," Yuuki giggled.

"Oh, don't you start with _that_ again," Aiko responded.

"Well, well, if it isn't our little dragon tamer."

Silica suddenly tensed up, and Nick glanced over to see Rosalia and the rest of Silica's former party standing not too far away.

"You actually made it out of the forest with your life," Rosalia proclaimed. "I'm impressed, honestly."

"Who's _this_ nut?" Yuuki asked Aiko quietly.

"Oh, wait a second, where's your little lizard friend?" Rosalia taunted, stepping closer so she could look closer at Silica. "Did it run away from you?"

"Pina died to save my life," Silica admitted before toughening up her expression as best she could. "But I'm going to get her back, no matter what!"

"Ah, then that must mean you're off to the Hill of Memories," Rosalia giggled, unaware of the accusing glares that Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko were sending her way. "I wonder if you'll be tough enough to clear it at your level."

"Of course she can," Nick replied, trying to look casual. "It's not _that_ difficult of a dungeon."

Rosalia looked at Nick before sighing dramatically. "Oh, good lord, she's seduced another player, hasn't she?" Rosalia sighed. "No, it's not hard, but you don't _look_ that tough, you know."

"Come on, let's get going," Nick stated as he and Silica walked past Rosalia towards the nearby inn.

"H-Hey, wait for us!" Yuuki sputtered as she and Aiko followed.

When they were out of sight, Rosalia couldn't help but grin wickedly. This was going to be fun.

Meanwhile, at the local in, the Weathercock Pavilion, Silica could only look down at her cup. "Why does she have to be so _mean_?" Silica wondered.

"Well, is Sword Art Online your first MMO?" Nick asked, to which Silica nodded. "A lot of people tend to have different personalities when they play games online, honestly. And, of course, that means there's a lot of people who actually _like_ playing the role of the bad guy."

"Silica, do you see the cursors above our heads?" Aiko asked. "You notice how they're green?"

"Yeah?" Silica replied.

"Well, if you commit a crime against another player, like attacking them outside of a duel, your cursor will turn orange," Aiko explained. "Though, if a player attacks you first and you defend yourself, it _won't_ go orange, since the system will recognize it as an act of self-defense."

"Then, you get the worst kind of player," Yuuki proclaimed. "The red players. All they care about is murder."

Silica _had_ heard of Laughing Coffin before, and was glad that they were considered the _only_ "red players" in SAO. But _still_...

"W-what?! They _kill_ other players?!" Silica gasped.

"In any other game, they'd just play the bad guys, have their daily assortment of yuks, and it's all cool," Nick stated. "But... Sword Art Online isn't anything normal."

Silica looked down at Nick's hands, which were clutching his cup tightly, almost threatening to break it.

"It's _definitely not a game._"

"Well, _I _think you're a good person," Silica replied. "After all, you saved my life. And for no other reason that I was in trouble."

"Well, it's like my dad always used to say," Nick replied. "'You don't need a reason to help people'. So... thanks, Silica."

Silica laughed happily even as she moved to join whatever interesting conversation that Yuuki and Aiko were having.

_Later that night..._

Silica flopped down on her bed, clad in a green nightgown as she reminisced on the day she'd had.

After looking out the window, Silica sighed before glancing back up at the ceiling. "I wonder what they'd think if I told them I wanted to talk some more," Silica wondered. "After all, they seem like such nice people..."

Just as she was thinking that, a knock or two came on her door.

"Silica? You still up?" Nick asked.

"Um, yeah?" Silica replied. "What's up?"

"There was some stuff we forgot to tell you about floor 47," Nick answered. "But, if you're sleepy, it can wait until morning."

"N-No, no, now's fine," Silica stammered.

With permission given, Nick opened the door and stepped into Silica's room, followed by Yuuki and Aiko.

"Looks like we're _all_ members of the 'Can't Sleep Tonight' brigade, huh?" Yuuki giggled.

"We're both the same way, Yuu," Aiko replied "You know we rarely _ever_ sleep the whole night if it's a place we've never been to before."

Nick sat down next to Silica before placing a strange pod-shaped item on the table near them.

"Oh, what's that, Nick?" Silica asked.

"It's a Mirage Sphere," Nick answered, pressing the button on top of it so it opened up and expanded into what appeared to be a large, holographic map of floor 47 in its entirety.

"Oh, wow, it's so pretty!" Silica giggled.

"Okay, so, this is the town area on floor 47," Nick explained, pointing to one spot on the map before pointing to another. "And this right here is the Hill of Memories."

Nick traced a path with his finger across the map image. "I'm thinking that if we take _this _route, it'll be easy for us to..."

Before he could continue his explanation, Nick's attention was diverted to the door, as he'd heard something suspicious.

"What's wrong?" Silica asked.

Yuuki gently shushed Silica before hopping to her feet and slamming the room door open.

"Who's there?!" Yuuki shouted, but the perpetrator in question was already gone, if the rapid loud footsteps were any indicator. "Ugh, dumb cowards..."

"Wait, who _was_ that?" Silica wondered.

"An eavesdropper," Nick replied.

"But... how is that possible?" Silica asked. "You can't hear through a door in this game unless you knock first, right?"

"Not unless you have a high enough Listening skill," Aiko responded. "It takes a lot of practice, and not many players have the patience for it."

"Who would want to spy on us, though?" Silica wondered.

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko all shared affirmative glances, knowing they were all suspecting the very same person.

_**February 24**__**th**__**, 2024, 2:36 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 47, the Hill of Memories...**_

Nick, Silica, Yuuki, and Aiko appeared in the Teleport Gate Plaza of Floria, main settlement of floor 47. The gate plaza of Floria was overflowing with different kinds of flowers, aside from two small paths that cut across the plaza in a cross shape, the entire remaining area was taken up by flower beds, each of them surrounded by red bricks and filled with flowers. Even the main street leading out of the plaza was covered with flowers.

Many players considered this floor a breather, as many of the monsters weren't all that strong. Even the _boss_ of floor 47 had been considered easy by this game's standards.

"Wooooooow," Silica gasped. "This place is like something out of a dream!"

"Yeah, pretty much the whole floor's covered in flowers of all different kinds," Yuuki giggled. "That's why it's primarily known as the Flower Garden."

Silica was now wearing the equipment Nick had given her, a red robe that exposed part of her shoulders, a short black skirt, fingerless red gloves, and black, asymmetrical shoes with long black socks. True to what Nick had said, this equipment had boosted her to level 53. By contrast, Nick was currently level 68, and both Yuuki and Aiko were level 70.

As Silica bent down to gaze at the beautiful flowers, she noticed something else about the people here. They were all couples, chatting excitedly and romantically about various subjects. Silica couldn't help but blush when she made the connection.

"Hey, Silica, we're heading out!" Yuuki called.

"Oh, s-sorry!" Silica sputtered, waving her hands across her face as she joined the Sleeping Knights.

Along the way, after crossing a bridge to the more open field area that acted as the entrance to the Hill of Memories, Nick remembered something he was going to do earlier and handed Silica a Teleport Crystal.

"What's this for?" Silica asked.

"If we get into some kind of trouble while we're here, I'm gonna tell you to warp out of here," Nick explained. "When I do, I want you to use this, okay? You can jump to whatever town you want with it."

"...why?" Silica wondered.

"If you couldn't already tell by our levels, we're pretty skilled," Yuuki answered. "We can handle ourselves if worse comes to worse."

"We just wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves if something happened to _you_, Silica," Aiko finished.

"Got it," Silica proclaimed.

"All right, let's move," Nick stated. "If we take this path, it'll take us _right _to the Hill of Memories."

And so, the four players journeyed into the Hill of Memories, and the trip was mostly a calm one.

Until...

"Um... hey, Nick?" Silica asked.

Just then, something slithered out from the nearby flowerbeds and snatched Silica by the ankles to pull her into the air. Nick immediately drew his sword as he, Yuuki, and Aiko spun around to face the large venus flytrap monster that had ensnared Silica, who was currently flailing about wildly in order to seemingly protect her modesty.

"All right, plant boy," Nick proclaimed as he rushed the monster, carving damage lines into its large mouth with a Brave Rondo.

"No perving on our watch!" Yuuki shouted, ravaging the monster with a Deadly Sins.

"Just give it up and go join your Biollante brethren!" Aiko stated, knocking the monster off balance with a Star Splash.

Aiko's attack rattled the monster enough for it to loosen its grip on Silica, who retaliated by slicing outwards with her Ebon Dagger to cut the vines off of her, and when she fell back down, she delivered the final blow by way of a flying dagger to the monster's head.

The monster exploded into glowing polygons just as Silica landed. She looked back at the Sleeping Knights, slightly embarrassed. "You... didn't see anything, did you?" Silica asked.

"We were more focused on making sure that thing didn't eat you," Nick replied.

"Yeah, the Sleeping Knights are here to preserve the decency of all players!" Yuuki proclaimed.

As the group moved deeper into the Hill of Memories, occasionally stopping to let Silica slay some more plant monsters and eventually raise her level to 54, Silica couldn't help but occasionally glance at Nick as he flashed through the field and mowed down more of those annoying plant monsters that had tried to eat her and possibly do _other_ things to her.

_He's so cool,_ Silica thought.

Against a much larger Land Anemone, Nick, Yuuki, and Silica were able to perform a combination attack based on Yuuki's Extreme Stars skill, in which Nick slashed the first half of the star, Yuuki, slashed the other half of the star, and Silica stabbed her dagger into the center of the star to finish off the Land Anemone.

"YES!" Nick proclaimed. "I finally hit level 69!"

"Better keep going, or we're just gonna keep outstripping you," Aiko laughed.

"So help me, I'll catch up to you two yet!" Nick exclaimed.

Silica couldn't help but laugh at how silly they were being. "You all seem really close," Silica stated.

"Yep!" Yuuki replied. "We've been friends practically since the beginning of SAO!"

"And we're gonna keep that friendship going, no matter what we have to do," Aiko proclaimed.

Eventually, the group traveled up a hill to a small, white shrine made of marble.

"Is that revival flower close by?" Silica asked.

"Yeah, it should be right up there, actually," Nick stated, pointing to the shrine just ahead. "But it'll only spawn if you're there, so go for it."

Silica ran up to the shrine, and just as she got close enough, the marble began to glow brightly, and a small, silvery-blue flower bloomed from the center almost immediately.

As she reached out to pick the flower, the lower stem dissolved, and an info window that read "Pneuma Flower" popped up over it.

"And you're sure this will bring Pina back?" Silica wondered.

"Of course," Nick replied, happy to see that Silica was happy again. "But there's a bunch of tricky monsters lurking around here, so how about we get back to Mishe and then revive Pina? I'm sure that's what she'd want, too."

Silica nodded, placing the Pneuma Flower in her inventory so they could all head back to town.

However, when the group was close to the bridge that would take them back to Floria, Nick unexpectedly put his hand on Silica's shoulder to stop her.

"Um, is something wrong, Nick?" Silica asked.

"All right, whoever's hiding over there, show yourselves _now_," Nick proclaimed.

And sure enough, who else but Rosalia walked out from the shadow of a nearby tree.

"Wow, if you could see through my Hiding skill, then your Detection skill must he _really_ high, mister swordsman," Rosalia proclaimed in a jovial tone before looking over at Silica. "Oh? It seems like you actually _did _find the Pneuma Flower, huh? Congratulations, Silica."

Rosalia's jovial tone immediately shifted to a much more threatening one. "Now hand it over before we have to hurt you."

"W-what's going on?" Silica gasped.

"No one's handing _anything _over to you, Rosalia," Yuuki stated, her right hand ready to draw her sword if need be. "Or should I call you the leader of _Titan's Hand_?"

"Wow, you actually saw through me," Rosalia stated. "I'm impressed."

"But her cursor is still green," Silica noted.

"It's an easy trick, honestly," Aiko answered. "The green members find their victims and set them up for an ambush by their orange members."

"That was one of your goons eavesdropping on us last night, wasn't it?" Nick challenged.

"W-wait, hold on, then... the reason you were in that party with me was..." Silica gasped.

"Precisely," Rosalia laughed. "I was gauging their strength, watching them earn all that beautiful money."

Rosalia licked her lips at the prospect, which made Silica tense up.

"You were the one I was the most interested in, and I was _so sad_ that you left us," Rosalia proclaimed.

"Oh, I'm _sure_," Yuuki shot back.

"But then you said that you were going after a rare item, and I couldn't resist any longer," Rosalia laughed. "But tell me, if you three knew about me, why did you bring _her_ with you? Or does she have you all wrapped around her tiny, delicate fingers?"

"Wrong on both counts," Nick stated. "We've actually been _looking_ for _you_."

"What exactly are you saying?" Rosalia taunted.

"Do you remember ten days ago?" Nick explained. "You and your goon squad attacked a guild called the Silver Flags. Of their five members, only the leader survived."

"Oh, right, the losers with no money," Rosalia sighed.

"Their leader kept going back and forth, from the warp point to the front lines, for _days_, _begging_ someone, _anyone_, to avenge his fallen friends," Aiko proclaimed.

"But he didn't want you all to get killed," Yuuki stated. "Nope, he wanted you to be sent to prison."

Yuuki's next words came with a chilling undertone that both Nick and Aiko never knew she could be capable of.

"Do you have _any idea_ how he felt?" Yuuki growled.

"Hmmm... can't say I do," Rosalia admitted. "Only idiots and dumbasses take this whole thing seriously. Who gives a crap if we kill someone here? There's no proof that dying here means you actually die in the real world."

"She's off her rocker," Aiko whispered to Nick. "Did she not see the news reports that Kayaba showed us when this all started?"

"Either way, I think you should probably be more worried about yourselves," Rosalia proclaimed, snapping her fingers. At the sound of the snap, eight orange-cursored players stepped out from behind various other trees.

"Oh, no, there's way too many of them!" Silica gasped, only for Nick to pat her on the head again.

"Don't worry about us, okay?" Nick stated. "You'll be safer if you stay here. Just remember to keep that crystal I gave you ready just in case."

"Trust us, we'll be okay," Yuuki giggled. "This shouldn't take too long."

Nick, Yuuki and Aiko drew their weapons and slowly walked towards the members of Titan's Hand.

"You ready to do this, Yuuki?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yeah," Yuuki proclaimed.

Many of the Titan's Hand players gasped in shock when they heard that name. "W-wait, 'Yuuki'?" one player gasped.

"One handed sword, no shield, dressed in purple," an axe-wielder stated. "Oh, _crapbaskets!_ Rosalia, that's supposed to be the Absolute Sword! That player with incredible reflexes! Her and her guild, the Sleeping Knights, are with the Assault Team on the front lines!"

"No way, really?" Silica gasped.

"Why the hell would someone from the Assault Team be all the way down here?" Rosalia countered. "You know what, it doesn't really matter. Get in there and take them all out! And take _everything they own_."

All seven orange players' weapons began glowing as they bum-rushed the Sleeping Knights, slashing and hacking at their bodies wildly and with no remorse.

Silica couldn't comprehend why they were just standing there and taking it, reaching for her dagger.

_I have to help them,_ Silica thought. _They did so much for me, so I have to do something for them! They won't last at this rate!_

Just then, Silica saw something odd.

She could see Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko's health bars. Each one was draining very slowly with each attack they received, only for each bar to jump back to full after about four seconds.

After a few more seconds, the orange players were forced to stop attacking out of exhaustion.

"What the _hell_ is your problem, you idiots?!" Rosalia shouted. "Stop dallying and _kill them already_!"

Nick smiled at the confused looks of the orange players.

"I'd say... about four hundred points in about ten seconds," Nick stated. "That's about all you punks can really do to us. I'm level 70, and my friends here are both level 72. I've got 13,700 HP, and they've both got about 14,200 HP. We all have a Battle Healing skill that automatically regenerates about six hundred points every ten seconds."

"To put in easier to relate to terms, we could do _this_ nonsense all day long and we wouldn't get anywhere," Yuuki proclaimed.

"There's... there's no way that's possible!" one of the katana wielders growled.

"Oh, you wanna _bet_?!" Aiko shot back. "If your numbers are high enough, you're practically invincible. After all, MMOs that use level systems are unfair like that."

Deciding that he was done screwing around, Nick reached for the Corridor Crystal that the leader of the Silver Flags had given him. "My client spent his entire fortune on this crystal," Nick proclaimed. "And he's going to get his money's worth, I promise you that. It's set to the coordinates of the Black Iron Prison on floor one, and I'm using it to send every one of you murderous bastards there where you belong!"

Rosalia simply clutched her spear, trying to keep her composure despite everything that had just happened. All of her henchmen had simply given up, knowing they couldn't win.

**("Venom" by Eminem plays)**

"Yeah, well, I'm still a green player, so you'll go orange if you attack me!" Rosalia growled, charging towards Silica with all the intent of skewering her for the Pneuma Flower.

But Nick was faster on the draw, lunging forward to plant himself in front of Silica and raise his sword to parry the thrust before striking back to knock Rosalia away.

"Yeah, but did you forget?" Nick taunted. "If someone attacks you _first_ and _then_ you strike back, it's considered an act of self-defense. And even otherwise, I'm sure the Assault Team would understand if I had to fight back against someone who was_ trying to kill my friend_."

Nick swung his sword, the Star Seeker, in an upwards slash that Rosalia quickly parried with an upward stab. Seeing an opening, Rosalia rushed in to impale Nick while he was defenseless, but he recovered faster than expected and swung low to slash at Rosalia's ankles, causing her to fall to her knees.

"Gonna give it up?" Nick offered.

"SCREW YOU!" Rosalia shouted, stabbing her spear at Nick's own legs even as he jumped to avoid it, then stomped down on the spear's blade to stop Rosalia from attacking. "Let go, you bastard! I'm gonna _kill you_!"

"Just does not get it," Nick sighed, lifting his foot as Rosalia pulled, the extra momentum sending her flying backwards.

"Ooh, now you're getting on my _last_ _nerve,_" Rosalia growled, rushing towards Nick and attacking him with a Wild Twister, a Sword Skill in which she spun her spear wildly in many different directions.

Despite this, Rosalia was shocked that she hadn't done much more damage to Nick than her henchmen had. And that damage was quickly healed.

"One last chance, Rosalia," Nick stated.

Rosalia just screamed and rushed in to stab crazily at Nick, who parried every stab that he could and simply tanked the ones he couldn't. Rosalia was only about level 43, after all, so her attacks wouldn't do much to him.

"Okay, now this is just getting sad," Nick sighed, parrying another spear stab before lashing out to slash the Star Seeker across Rosalia's face. The orange players couldn't resist cringing at the sounds of Rosalia's screams, as her eyes had apparently been gouged out by that last attack.

"Oh, jeez, stop being a baby," Nick replied. "It's no different than a severed limb in game. If you give it a few minutes without any more damage, they'll grow right back. After all, _it's just a game, right?!_"

Finally, Nick's words seemed to sink in, and Rosalia fell to her knees in defeat, her spear slipping from her hands and clattering to the ground.

Aiko walked up to take Rosalia to the rest of her defeated henchmen so Nick could finally use the Corridor Crystal to send all of Titan's Hand to the Black Iron Prison.

Once only Silica and the Sleeping Knights remained, Nick glanced over at Silica, wondering how she was taking what had just happened. After all, he hadn't wanted her to see what he'd done to Rosalia.

"Sorry I got a little... well, _savage_ at the end there, Silica," Nick laughed. "I guess I got a little carried away..."

"No, no, you were just protecting me!" Silica responded. "I really do appreciate it."

"Thanks, Silica," Nick replied. "Now come on, let's get back to Mishe. After all, you've got a friend waiting for you, right?"

Silica nodded happily.

_**February 24**__**th**__**, 2024, 7:02 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 35, Mishe, the Weathercock Pavilion...**_

"Well, I guess this is where I need to apologize, huh?" Nick admitted.

"For what?" Silica wondered.

"I didn't want you to think that I was just using you as bait to lure Rosalia out," Nick replied. "That's actually why we were in the Forest of Wandering, because we'd heard that Rosalia had been there recently. Then, we ran into you. I figured you'd be scared if you knew the truth about us."

Silica just shook her head. "I could never be scared of you," Silica stated quite clearly. "You're a good person."

Silica leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek, leaving him surprised for a few seconds.

"Do you really have to leave?" Silica asked.

"Honestly, we've been away from the front lines for about five days now," Nick answered. "And I hear there's a rather nasty field boss on floor 55 that might need the Assault Team to take care of, so yeah, we've gotta head back."

"We made a promise, after all," Aiko quipped. "We're going to make it out of this game, no matter what it throws our way."

"I think it's really cool that you're all with the Assault Team," Silica admitted, twiddling her fingers nervously. "I could probably train for a hundred years and never get anywhere close to your level..."

"Hey, Silica?" Aiko stated. "Anyone can get there if they put in the effort. That's what we've been doing the whole time we've been here, after all. And, honestly, levels are just numbers in the grand scheme of things."

"You know what, Silica?" Yuuki asked. "We should all meet up in the real world once we get out of here. I think that would be _sweet_, because... well, you're a really good friend."

"Okay, we definitely will," Silica giggled. "Promise!"

"All right, enough beating around the bush," Nick proclaimed. "You ready to bring Pina back?"

"Of course!" Silica exclaimed, immediately opening her menu and selecting Pina's Heart from her inventory. The small blue feather floated gently onto the table as Silica accessed the Pneuma Flower and held it over the feather, a small dew drop falling onto the feather and causing it to glow brightly.

**("Dearly Beloved – Kingdom Hearts III ver." By Yoko Shimomura plays)**

A few seconds later, the feather vanished, becoming a small orb of blue light that eventually shattered like glass to reveal Pina, the Feathered Little Dragon, alive and well.

"Pina!" Silica exclaimed just as Pina flew towards her, chirping happily. "You're alive!"

Pina chirped in confusion, obviously wondering how it had come back to life.

"My new friends helped me bring you back," Silica explained as Pina turned around to look at Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko. "I've gotten so much stronger because of them!"

Pina flew over to where Nick was, and quickly perched on top of his head, much to Nick's confusion.

"I think he likes you, Nick," Yuuki giggled.

"It's not my fault I'm an animal magnet sometimes," Nick sputtered. "I don't think I've ever told you the stories of my mom and her three cats."

"Ooh, cats?" Aiko laughed.

Nick clearly had that look on his face that said "I REGRET EVERYTHING".

But as she watched Nick and the Konno sisters banter about cats, including the one that once was able to open a bathroom door _despite it being locked_, Silica couldn't help but smile as Pina returned to her side.

Pina cawed in a way that had Silica stuttering slightly.

"Y-You think they'd let me?" Silica asked. Pina just nodded as if to say "go for it". Silica brushed down her outfit and adopted a look of determination before walking up to her new friends. "Um, e-excuse me?"

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko immediately stopped their banter to glance over at Silica.

"What's up?" Yuuki asked.

"I... um, I was wondering... well... couldIjoinyourguildplease?" Silica stuttered.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, speedy," Nick teased.

"Can I please join your guild?" Silica asked again after calming down. "I still want to get stronger, so I can feel like I'm making a difference in finishing this game. You all made me feel like... like I could be whatever I wanted to be, instead of just 'that cute dragon tamer' or the baby everyone has to protect. I want to be strong enough to stand by you and help in whatever way I can."

Nick glanced back at Yuuki, since she was the official leader of the Sleeping Knights, that meant it was ultimately her decision.

It only took a couple of seconds of thinking for Yuuki to come up with an answer. Silica quickly saw an info window pop up in front of her bearing an official guild invitation. She looked up at Yuuki, who was smiling, and that was all she needed, immediately hitting the accept command and seeing the guild icon, a curved heart with two angel wings, appear by her health bar.

"Guess it's official now!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Welcome to the Sleeping Knights, Silica!"

As Silica immediately began to discuss the kind of adventures they would go on, she thought back to the adventure she'd had.

_I can't wait to tell you, Pina, about the amazing adventure I had. About the time... when, even for just a day, I got to have my very own big brother and big sisters._

Silica promised herself that she'd treasure that memory.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Yuuki: ...um...

Aiko: Is he... singing?

Yuuki: What? You didn't know that this game has a music player option?

Aiko: Wait, so that was _you_ who was playing that rap song during the fight?

Yuuki: It just fit, honestly. Little vulgar, but hey, what can you do?

Aiko: All right, since he's distracted, how do we do this? It's gonna be hard to keep this a secret, since he can see where we're going. Friend tracker and all that, right?

Yuuki: Guess we need to come up with a good excuse if we're going to pull this off.

Aiko: Okay, got any ideas?

Nick: Hey, what are you two conferencing about?

Yuuki and Aiko: NOTHING!

Nick: You sure? Because that was a pretty swift denial.

Yuuki: Trust me, Nick, there's a good reason we're staying secretive, but _you'll_ have to wait until the next episode of _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "Promise of Reunion"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	6. Promise of Reunion

**On Today's Episode:** Nick has no idea why Yuuki and Aiko are being so secretive about whatever strange idea they have planned. Of course, Nick knows that Yuuki and Aiko would never do anything malicious. But that still raises the question of what they're up to. Even stranger, Silica and Asuna don't want to spill the beans, either. Can Nick figure out what exactly all of his friends are hiding from him? And who is this strange new player that seems to be suffering from an odd case of glitches?

Episode 6: Promise of Reunion

_**March 10**__**th**__**, 2024, 4:41 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 55, Grandzam...**_

Silica walked in to a pretty interesting sight when she returned to the suite she was currently sharing with Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko.

Yuuki and Aiko were currently sitting in a chair across from one of the three beds, their heads bopping back and forth to a seemingly unhearable beat.

But as Silica stepped closer, she could hear the song the Konno sisters were listening to, even as they decided to sing along.

Before they could continue singing along, Yuuki was the first to notice Silica giggling at their impromptu concert.

"Um, Silica?" Yuuki asked. "...question. How long were you watching us sing?"

"Long enough," Silica laughed. "You two have lovely singing voices. And you can actually sing in English!"

"Yeah, there's a _lot_ of options in the Music Player," Yuuki answered as she decided to switch to another song. "They've got J-pop, American songs, Spanish ballads, _everything_!"

"Well, considering Sword Art Online is a global game, I kinda figured they'd have a lot of options," Aiko admitted.

"You know, we've really gotta drag Nick into this sometime," Yuuki giggled. "Then the Sleeping Knights could double as a concert group!"

"You know it would only really feel complete if Yuna could join us," Aiko stated.

Suddenly, Yuuki let out a loud gasp of shock.

"W-what's wrong, Yuuki?" Silica gasped.

"Oh, crapbaskets, I almost forgot!" Yuuki proclaimed as she turned to Aiko. "Did you remember the plan, sis?"

"You've been drilling the same exact plan into my head for the past week, Yuu," Aiko sighed. "How the heck _could_ I forget?"

"Um, what are you two planning?" Silica wondered, curious as to what exactly they were being so secretive about.

Yuuki and Aiko turned towards Silica, both wearing mischievous smiles, and now Silica was starting to worry.

"Oh, relax, silly, we're not planning anything malicious," Yuuki giggled. "But we _are_ gonna need your help to pull this off."

"Okay, Silica, here's what's going on," Aiko stated.

_**March 10**__**th**__**, 2024, 4:41 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 48, Lindarth...**_

Lindarth, the main settlement of floor 48, was a city themed after a medieval village town, with stone-paved roads dotted by large trees. The place was very popular with players who preferred support classes, like bakers, tailors, and smiths, since the many buildings with waterwheels meant they could be used to power many large-scale devices.

And as Nick crossed through the town in search of his "current objective", as it were, Nick often let his mind drift to how strange both Yuuki and Aiko had been acting lately.

They'd been acting very secretive about their plans, as if they were plotting some Machiavellian scheme that would make the game developers proud. Even though Nick knew they weren't really doing _that_, it did still leave him very curious as to what their plans were.

Even Silica had been sworn to secrecy by the Konno twins, so that avenue was out.

"What exactly are they up to?" Nick asked nobody in particular as he eventually came across his "target", the Lisbeth Smithy Shop.

_Yeah, I'm heading to a blacksmith shop. Long story short, my old blacksmith was forced to close down his old shop after... let's call it a rather __**underhanded**__ attack by Laughing Coffin, so the girls and I have been searching for a blacksmith that can keep our weapons and armor in tip-top shape. And I think Yuuki must have said something about it, too, because Asuna directed me to a friend of hers who currently lives here on floor 48, someone who Asuna says is probably the best blacksmith in all of SAO at the moment. Here's hoping this person lives up to the hype._

Readying himself for whatever awaited him inside, Nick knocked twice on the door to the shop. "Um, excuse me? I heard that a _really_ talented blacksmith works here?" Nick asked. "I wanted to ask you about a custom order?"

It only took a few seconds for someone to answer the door. Nick took a step back so the opening door wouldn't bash him in the face (it had happened once in SAO before, and it _hurt_), only to behold a girl about his age. She had fluffy pink hair with a white hairpin and dark blue eyes, with freckles on her face. She was wearing a blacksmith uniform that resembled a waitress uniform more than anything else, consisting of a dark red top with puffed sleeves and a flared skirt of the same color, combined with a pure white apron on top of it, as well as a red ribbon atop her chest.

"Ah, so _you_ must be the boy little miss Absolute Sword won't stop talking about!" the girl laughed. "Nice to finally meet ya, by the way. The name's Lisbeth."

"Your friend Asuna says you're probably the best player blacksmith in the entire game," Nick stated. "Is there any validity to those claims?"

"Wow, you're even getting chummy with the vice-commander of the KoB, huh?" Lisbeth teased. "Sounds like fun."

If Nick's face could get any more red, he'd probably have people mistaking him for an over-ripe tomato.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," Lisbeth giggled. "Come on in, and we'll see what we can do about your order."

As Nick followed Lisbeth into the shop, he mused on how different she seemed from so many other blacksmiths, at least the ones he'd seen in SAO so far. Most other blacksmiths in the game were guys, usually of the burly and slightly muscley persuasion, most likely to actually have the strength to use the necessary tools.

Though Nick often had to remind himself that stat numbers often didn't visibly show on players here. So, Lisbeth could be the most girly-looking girl in the game and could still have enough strength to flawlessly wield those tools like they were nothing but children's playthings.

"Okay, let's get your order placed!" Lisbeth proclaimed. "What can I make for you today?"

Nick accessed his inventory and summoned his current weapon, the Star Seeker, to his hands. In Lisbeth's opinion, the sword had definitely seen better days.

"Wow, you must have used that sword quite a bit," Lisbeth admitted.

"Yeah," Nick answered. "It's been my weapon of choice since floor 51, but as you can probably tell, I think old rusty's had its day. I already used up all its enhancement slots, and its durability is almost at zip, so I figured, before I have to go back to the fight, I'd try to get a new sword. And, well, Asuna recommended you, so here we are."

"Okay, step one, then," Lisbeth replied. "Did you want a sword similar to this one?"

"Hey, that'll do nicely," Nick answered. "A new sword to carry on the legacy of the old one! ...sorry, I watch too many cheesy anime films."

"I'm just as guilty of that myself," Lisbeth laughed as Nick swiped through his menu to break down Star Seeker into its base components, then moved through his inventory to add a few extra materials to the mix.

"Would this be enough?" Nick asked.

"Should be good!" Lisbeth proclaimed. "Let's get to smithing!"

Lisbeth took the materials over to her smithing table and brought out her hammer, then got to work, pounding away at the materials until they began glowing.

After a little longer at work, the glowing materials merged into one large mass and eventually transformed into a sword, then stopped glowing. The new sword in question was slightly longer than the Star Seeker, with a gold handguard and a blue blade patterned with stars just like the Star Seeker. The concave rainguard had been replaced by a diamond-patterned bell shape that the blade jutted out from. At the top two corners of the handguard were five-pointed star designs, while the bottom two appeared to have massive golden screws. Between the handle and the rainguard was a glass-like dome, deep blue and speckled white like a starry sky, and on the guard below the handle was a gold crescent moon.

"Aaaaaand _finished_!" Lisbeth proclaimed. "May I present to you, Star Cluster!"

Nick walked up to the table to accept his new sword and check its appraisal stats.

"Oh, _yes_," Nick stated, swinging Star Cluster a few times to try it out. "I can _definitely_ do a lot of damage with this baby. How much do I owe you?"

Lisbeth swiped through her own menu before showing Nick her price. "About this much. First time customer discount applied," Lisbeth giggled.

After paying Lisbeth the requested amount, Nick glanced at Star Cluster, its blade gleaming in the early evening light filtering through the shop window.

"I wonder what Yuuki would say about this sword?" Nick wondered. "Considering how much she fangirled over Star Seeker and how 'cool' it was..."

Lisbeth definitely noticed the subtle change in Nick's voice, and leaned in closer to investigate. "Sooooooooooo..." Lisbeth giggled.

"Oh, boy, where are you going with this?" Nick wondered.

"It sounds like _someone _has a _crush_," Lisbeth laughed. "Care to elaborate?"

Realizing that there was no way to escape Lisbeth's teasing face, Nick sighed in relent. "...swear that you won't tell her?" Nick asked.

"Lips are sealed," Lisbeth replied. "Now _spill_!"

"You know that Yuuki, Aiko and I have been together since the first floor boss fight?" Nick explained. "We've been playing together for almost two years now, and I'm really happy I got to know them. Honestly, Yuuki's an amazing girl. I think I've been crushing on her since floor 50, but..."

"But what?" Lisbeth wondered.

"I'm worried about what she'd think," Nick answered. "As cliché as that sounds, I worry, since just because _I_ have these feelings doesn't mean _she_ feels the same way. Adding to that, I don't know how Aiko would feel about the fact that someone's got a crush on her sister. I really have no clue if she's the overprotective type when it comes to relationships..."

After taking a few seconds to absorb everything Nick had just told her, she walked up to him with a genuine smile on her face, no teasing involved.

"How about this, then?" Lisbeth proclaimed. "When you feel ready to give it a shot, start by asking Aiko how she'd feel. Then you can gauge what she'd think about her sister getting into a relationship. Whatever happens next is really all up to you to decide."

"Never thought I'd be going to a blacksmith for relationship advice," Nick teased.

"Oh, you know you love it," Lisbeth laughed.

As Nick waved goodbye to Lisbeth and left the shop, something strange occurred.

The NPC that was tending the store, alongside much of the surrounding area, began to glitch out, warbling and warping like a static-filled television.

The glitches only lasted a few seconds before everything returned to normal.

"Okay, _that_ was weird," Nick quipped.

"Apparently, that's been happening a lot lately," Lisbeth admitted as she walked outside. "Some places start glitching out for a few seconds seemingly at random, but no one's really thought of it as a big deal, since the glitching apparently doesn't affect anyone negatively."

"Still, someone should probably look into it," Nick stated. "Even if the glitches aren't hurting anything, they could eventually get worse and worse to the point where it _does_ start affecting the players..."

Just then, Nick caught something out of the corner of his eye. More glitches, though minor ones, were occurring near the pathway that led to Lindarth's Teleport Gate.

And now Nick could see that the glitches were surrounding a player attempting to use the Teleport Gate.

"Ah-HA!" Nick exclaimed, his proclamation catching the attention of the player as they squeaked in fright, then began making a mad dash out of Lindarth, towards its field dungeon, the Winding Waterway.

"Gotta go, Lis," Nick quipped.

"Go catch the stranger!" Lisbeth proclaimed.

Nick unsheathed Star Cluster, then took off after the strange player.

As the chase continued, the strange player made use of some very impressive gymnastics in hopes of shaking him off, but Nick liked to think his agility stat was high enough that he could keep up with the player despite all of that.

After winding through a series of closely-packed oak trees and entering a large field area, Nick juked one way in hopes of throwing the player off. Surprisingly, they took the bait and juked in the opposite direction, only for Nick to change course and lunge that way to finally catch the fleeing player in his hands.

When the player turned around, obviously slightly scared over what they thought Nick would do, Nick was surprised to see that the player was a girl that looked about a couple years older than him, with shoulder-length lavender hair and violet-red eyes.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" the player asked.

Nick noticed that the glitches around them were slowly starting to fade out.

"Why were you running from me?" Nick asked once he was sure the girl had calmed down. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"If it's about the glitches, I don't know what's causing them or why they're following me around," the girl answered. "If I knew, I'd definitely tell you. But now that we're actually calm, how about I introduce myself? My name's Strea!"

_She sure changed from scared to happy in a heartbeat, huh?_ Nick thought. "My name's Nick. Despite the strange circumstances, it's nice to meet you, too, Strea."

Nick extended his hand, only to be grabbed by Strea and pulled into an incredibly fierce hug.

_Ack, my bones feel like they're gonna crack! How strong IS this girl?!_ Nick thought.

Strea's hug was interrupted when something erupted from the nearby lake and landed in front of Nick and Strea. The offending monster was a strange, shark-like beast made entirely of water-like energy, and it was staring at the two players like they were its next full-course meal.

The Shark Guardian roared as its two health bars appeared over its info window before it lunged at the two players.

Strea simply drew her weapon, a large and purple two-handed sword with silver edges. Its blade had a small curvature on each side and on the tip to allow both slicing and squashing at the same time.

"Bad sharky! We're not your food!" Strea proclaimed as she swung Invaria to catch the Shark Guardian across its chest and send it tumbling backwards.

Nick was surprised to see that one simple swing had done so much damage, almost as much as a fifth of the Shark Guardian's first health bar.

"Wow," Nick quipped.

"Yeah, my weapon's actually got a really useful effect, in that it does extra damage to bosses," Strea giggled. "Sorry if I forgot to mention that."

"Sounds OP, but very useful in this situation," Nick replied. "Now let's have ourselves a fish fry!"

As the Shark Guardian recovered, it lunged to take a bite of out Strea, but Nick planted himself in front of her before slicing upwards to parry the bite, then striking back with a Brave Rondo that, while not as sizable as Strea's attack, still left a nicely-sized dent in the boss' health bar.

Nick snuck a glance at Strea's health bar and saw that she was level 72, just under his current level of 74.

Thankfully, with Strea's weapon, it only took a few more minutes of battle with the Shark Guardian to finish it off. Strea did the honor of dealing the last hit by literally swinging Invaria like a baseball bat and knocking the Shark Guardian back into the lake it had sprouted from, whereupon it exploded into a cloud of glowing polygons.

"That was fun!" Strea laughed.

"Not every day that you get to fight a giant shark with a sword and live to tell the tale," Nick quipped. "Ah, video game logic at its finest."

"Hey, um... so..." Strea started, only to reach out in an attempt to hug Nick.

"Not so hard, okay?" Nick stated. "I don't know if bone breaking is a thing in this game, but it almost felt like it before. You're _incredibly_ strong, Strea."

"I've been told," Strea replied as she leaned over to hug Nick, much gentler than she had done earlier. "But seriously, I wanted to thank you for not judging me simply because of the weird glitches that follow me around."

"How long _have_ they been following you?" Nick wondered.

"Since floor 50, I think," Strea admitted. "They don't always start happening around me, but when they do, I try to stay away from towns and crowds of people because I don't want the glitches to start affecting them."

"Do you know if there's any way to control them?" Nick asked.

"Well, you saw that when I'm calm and collected, the glitches are minor at best, mostly just warbly visual stuff," Strea replied. "They seem to get stronger when I'm stressed out or in some kind of weird emotional bubble thing-a-ma-bob."

"So, they're tied to your emotions?" Nick quipped. "That's bizarre. Do you think your NerveGear might be acting up or something?"

"I honestly have no clue what's causing them, but I hope I can get them under control soon," Strea replied as she and Nick returned to Lindarth and walked towards the Teleport Gate. "I guess you have to go?"

"Sadly, yeah," Nick sighed. "My friends-slash-guildmates are probably wondering what's taking me so long when I was supposed to just be seeing a blacksmith. Yuuki's probably gonna freak when she finds out I had to fight a shark. She _hates_ sharks."

"Well, until next time, then, buddy!" Strea giggled, sending Nick a friend request that he gladly accepted. "Teleport: Dahngrest!"

As Strea vanished into the Teleport Gate, Nick couldn't help but reflect on the day he'd had so far, along with wondering if he'd ever see Strea again.

"Guess only time will tell," Nick quipped, waving to Lisbeth before turning towards the Teleport Gate. "Teleport: Grandzam!"

_**March 10**__**th**__**, 2024, 5:56 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 55, Knights of the Blood Oath headquarters...**_

"YOU FOUGHT A FLIPPIN' SHARK?!" Yuuki wailed.

"Saw that coming," Nick sighed as he continued to tell the tale of the adventure he'd had after getting his new weapon.

"Does... does Yuuki not like sharks?" Silica asked.

"It's her own fault, really," Aiko laughed. "I _told_ her not to watch those movies about killer sharks and tornadoes."

"Oh, lordy, you've seen those dumb movies, too?" Nick groaned.

"Okay, good, so I'm not the only one who thinks they're dumb," Aiko giggled.

"But they're so _scary_!" Yuuki exclaimed. "You try and tell me you wouldn't be afraid of tornadoes that fling _hungry, man-eating sharks_ straight towards you! It'd be a miracle if you survived that!"

"Yeah, but it's such a _dumb _concept," Nick replied. "And don't even get me _started_ on the fact that they threw in bullcrap time-travel shenanigans in the _sixth_ movie. Oh, and that's _another_ thing! Who in their right mind decided 'oh hey, let's make a movie out of this dumb concept, but wait, let's actually make _six movies_'?! Seriously, that's so _dumb and stupid_!"

"Okay, to actually get back to your day in Lindarth, you said you actually ran into someone that was causing _glitches_ around herself?" Aiko asked.

"Yeah, that must have been strange," Yuuki wondered.

"I'm not sure if it's because her NerveGear's acting up, because, from what Strea told me, the glitches only manifest around her when she's stressed or too emotional about something," Nick replied. "I'm kinda curious about her, to be honest."

"Not to mention the fact that her weapon does more damage to bosses," Aiko quipped. "Do you think she's part of the Clearers? Because that kind of weapon could be _very_ useful in the floors ahead, especially considering the rumors that have been flying around about the next few bosses..."

"Here's hoping the gang's got some kind of plan in motion for these guys," Yuuki stated.

"Speaking of _plan_..." Nick proclaimed, hoping he'd get some results this time around.

"Sorry, Nick, but we can't tell you anything," Yuuki giggled. "Why do you think they're called '_secret_ plans'? If you spoil the plan, it ruins the mystique of things."

"That _is_ why they're called secrets, after all," Silica laughed.

"Silica, not you, too!" Nick groaned, to which everyone started laughing.

_**March 12**__**th**__**, 2024, 10:35 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 27 – Dahngrest, Fortune's Market...**_

Yuuki was the first to appear in Dahngrest's Teleport Gate Plaza, followed by Aiko and Silica. Now that they were sure Nick was fast asleep, they could proceed with the next step of their plan.

"Are you sure they're even open this late, Yuuki?" Silica asked.

"They're open until midnight," Yuuki answered. "Trust me, with how many times I've been to Fortune's Market in the last year and a third, I practically know their shtick by heart now."

"And to answer your other question, Silica," Aiko continued. "We wanted to wait until Nick was asleep before we set out for phase three of the plan, otherwise he'd get curious as to where we were going."

Silica thought back on what the Konno twins had told her about their whole process, unable to stop a smile. "You think he'll like it?" Silica wondered.

"Knowing Nick, I'm two hundred percent sure he's going to _love it_," Yuuki giggled as she knocked three times on the door to Fortune's Market. "Guess who's back, everybody?!"

A few seconds of silence occurred before said front door opened to reveal a woman in her mid-twenties with reddish-violet hair and identical eyes.

"What's cookin', Madam President?" Yuuki proclaimed.

"Ugh, you wouldn't _believe_ how happy I am that someone _finally_ called me by my proper title today," Mary sighed as she beheld the smiling face of her favorite customer. "We have a couple newbies helping us out as of today, and I don't think they got the memo."

"Does _everyone_ call her Madam President?" Silica wondered, as she'd never been to Fortune's Market before this, despite how much Yuuki raved about it.

"It's just her title," Aiko explained. "Her name's Mary Kaufman, and she's the guild leader of Fortune's Market."

"Ah, we have a new customer?" Mary laughed.

"Yup!" Yuuki giggled. "This is Silica, the newest member of the Sleeping Knights! I've been meaning to tell her about this place for so long, actually. Just you wait, Silica, this place makes possibly the _best_ food in _all _of Sword Art Online! Those measly NPC cooks and chefs, even at their best, are _potatoes_ compared to the actual players who comprise Fortune's Market!"

"Yuu, as much as I know you want to rave about this place, we _do_ have something to take care of, remember?" Aiko interrupted. "You know, the _whole reason_ we even came here this late at night?"

"Oh, right, right," Yuuki quipped. "Okay, Mary, I've got an order request. Do you still have _it_ waiting for us?"

Mary's eyes twinkled as she led the Sleeping Knights inside the building. "You honestly think I'd just _give_ this delicacy away after all the effort you three have put into just getting it ready?"

"Obviously not," Aiko responded. "You just wanted to tease us."

"Hey, you two are my favorite customers with how much you come here for food, so I'd expect you could get away with some teasing," Mary laughed.

Silica couldn't help but smile as Yuuki and Aiko traded jabs with Mary. Now she knew she had made the right choice in asking to join their guild, seeing how far they were going for their friend.

_**March 15**__**th**__**, 2024, 7:21 P.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 55 – Grandzam, KoB HQ...**_

"Asuna, can you tell me _anything_? PLEASE?"

Asuna had to suppress a giggle at how forward Nick was being about this matter. How many times had Yuuki and Aiko told her not to say anything to Nick about what they were planning?

To be fair, though, Asuna was surprised that Nick seemingly had no idea what tomorrow was.

But, for the sake of the plan, if nothing else, she decided to play along.

"Sorry, Nick," Asuna laughed. "I know you've probably heard it all the time recently, but they swore me to secrecy. Trust me, if I could tell you, I would."

Asuna glanced back to see how Nick was taking it, only to be met with a look that clearly stated Nick knew something was afoot.

"It's been at least a week, Asuna," Nick admitted. "I seriously don't know what they're planning, and it's driving me _up the wall_! Especially considering their plan involves _me_ in some way, shape, or form! They shouldn't have said _that_, because now I'm _really_ curious!"

Before Asuna could respond to that, she saw something appear in front of her. Apparently, it was a duel request from Nick.

"How about this, Asuna?" Nick offered. "If I can beat you in a duel, you'll spill what they're planning. Sound reasonable?"

"You should know exactly what I'm capable of," Asuna answered as she accepted the request for a Half-Loss Duel, where the winner was the player who got their opponent to below 50% health first. "I'm called the 'Lightning Flash' for a good reason."

"I'm sure of myself," Nick proclaimed. "Besides, I've never really seen your fighting style first-hand, since the last time I saw you fight, we were all busy with Galeem. This way, I can see for myself what you're truly capable of."

The duel countdown began, and Asuna reached for the handle of Lambent Light as Nick reached for the handle of Star Cluster.

Other assorted members of the Knights of the Blood Oath passing by quickly stayed rooted to their spot when they saw their vice commander preparing for a duel.

"Whoa, is she dueling someone?"

"I think it's that boy from the Sleeping Knights!"

"They call him the 'Star Warrior', right? Because his signature blade gleams with the light of the stars?"

Nick sighed at the mention of his corny nickname. "Why couldn't I get saddled with a _cool_ nickname, like yours and Yuuki's?" Nick proclaimed. "'Lightning Flash' and 'Absolute Sword' are _badass _nicknames. 'Star Warrior' just sounds like a goofball Kirby ripoff!"

"I can't really stop them when the nicknames start flying," Asuna giggled, turning serious as the countdown neared its end.

Once it reached zero, Nick and Asuna lunged for each other.

Nick watched Asuna charge towards him with the lightning speed she was famous for, knowing she was probably going to try and catch Nick off guard. Nick remedied that by raising Star Cluster to parry the stab he knew was coming, then strike back with an overhead swing.

_Press the advantage!_ Nick thought, moving in while Asuna was stumbling from being parried to land a few slashes along her side, then jump back when he saw Asuna moving towards him. Nick tried to juke to one side to confuse Asuna, but she saw through that and unleashed a Sonic Impulse to knock Nick backwards.

Just as Nick got back to his feet, Asuna lunged forward with a Quadruple Pain, a rapid four-hit thrust attack, that did decent damage to Nick. Before he could retaliate, however, Nick felt his body stop responding to his commands, only realizing too late that he'd been immobilized by the Quadruple Pain's secondary effect.

Asuna decided to move in for the finishing blow, ready to show everyone what she'd been developing.

As Nick futilely attempted to break out of his paralysis, Asuna struck, stabbing Nick five times in different spots, then slashing Lambent Light five more times, the slashes and stabs combining to form the shape of a star. Asuna bent back before thrusting Lambent Light forward into the center of the star shape, then finishing with a lunging uppercut slash.

When Nick fell back to the ground, his current health had dropped to about forty percent, and a large information window popped up in the center of the plaza, declaring Asuna the winner of the duel.

The small crowd that had gathered applauded rapturously for their vice commander, though Nick heard just as many cheers for him for putting up such a good fight.

"Guess I surprised you, huh?" Asuna laughed as she walked over to help Nick to his feet.

"You _definitely_ did," Nick admitted. "That wasn't like _any_ rapier skill that's in the directory."

"Well, that's because it's a skill _I _created," Asuna answered. "Did you remember what the game menu told you? Once you hit level 70, you can create your own special move. It's called an 'Original Sword Skill', OSS for short."

Nick had to admit, he'd missed that message, as when he'd hit level 70, he was still helping Silica find the Pneuma Flower, so he hadn't paid it any mind then.

Asuna opened her menu to demonstrate what to do. "First, you have to open your Skills menu, then select OSS, and press the record button. Once you're recording, you just perform the move in whatever way you want, and hit Finish when you're done. The downside of the system is that a skill can only accepted by the system if they meet very high speed, combo and execution requirements. You've basically got to execute the skill flawlessly without the system assist."

"Sounds tricky," Nick quipped. "Then again, knowing Yuuki, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already got one under her belt. I'll have to give it a try sometime."

"Hey, what's all the racket in here?" Yuuki called out, as she, Aiko, and Silica entered the plaza to investigate the crowd. "Sounds like something big happened here, huh?"

"Yeah, the Lightning Flash just challenged the Star Warrior to a duel and she came out on top!" a silver-helmeted knight proclaimed.

"Wait, hold on, why were Nick and Asuna fighting each other?!" Yuuki gasped.

"Well, Nick kind of _really_ wanted to know what you two are planning for him, so..." Asuna sighed.

"I legit believed I had a chance until Asuna busted out her personal super move," Nick replied.

"Nick, ears up, okay?" Aiko proclaimed. "I promise you, it won't be much longer before we can reveal our super secret agenda, okay? I know it's tearing you up inside, but I can assure you that you'll love it when we get to that point."

"...can you give me a timetable, at the very least?" Nick asked.

"Try tomorrow," Silica answered.

"Hey, guys!" a high-ranking knight exclaimed to the crowd. "The raid party just found the boss room on floor 57! Commander Heathcliff says that we're going to challenge the boss tomorrow!"

"Wait, _what_?!" Yuuki shouted. "Why tomorrow?! Heathcliff just _completely_ ruined our plans with that one line! DANG IT ALL!"

"Well, why can't we just...?" Nick started, only to be cut off by Yuuki.

"No can do, Nick, it _has_ to be tomorrow!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Otherwise, it won't have the same impact! Commander Heathcliff, you seriously couldn't have waited _one more day_ to spring this challenge, you _freakin' clamjammer?!_"

Yuuki turned on her heel, then stormed off in a huff.

"I'll go calm her down, 'kay?" Aiko responded. "Look at it this way, Nick. Since the boss raid probably isn't going to be until later in the afternoon, we can spring the plan in the morning before we have to do any fighting. How's that sound?"

"Sounds fine by me," Nick responded. "Just _please_ don't keep me in the dark for too much longer."

"I swear, Nick, when tomorrow morning rolls around, you'll understand why we've been so secretive," Aiko stated as she rushed down the hallway to calm her sister down.

Nick sincerely hoped Aiko was telling the truth on this one.

_**March 16**__**th**__**, 2024, 8:41 A.M. Aincrad Time, Floor 55 – Grandzam, KoB HQ...**_

Once Nick's eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight coming through the window, his first thought was that today was finally the day when the veil would be lifted on whatever it was that Yuuki and Aiko had planned for him.

Just as he finished putting his clothes on for today (he still found it very convenient that in-game clothes could be equipped just like that from the menu), the lights in the room suddenly went out.

Nick immediately swiped through his menu to equip Star Cluster and draw it, expecting an attack by some unseeable assassin.

"All right, who's..."

"Okay, everybody, lights on!" Yuuki's voice called out.

Before Nick could figure out what was going on, the lights suddenly reappeared, but now several more figures were standing in front of a large double chocolate fudge cake.

It turned out to not just be Yuuki, Aiko, and Silica, but also Asuna, Lisbeth, and Sachi as well. Apparently, even Strea was currently part of this gathering.

"Okay, on the count of three!" Yuuki proclaimed. "One, two..."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICK!" everyone but Nick shouted.

**("Dearly Beloved – Kingdom Hearts Union χ ver." by Yoko Shimomura plays)**

Nick cast a quick glance at the date and time on his HUD, only to realize, just as everyone had said, today was March 16th.

His seventeenth birthday.

"Holy _crapbaskets_, now I _really_ feel like a complete dunce-lord for forgetting that today was supposed to be my _birthday_," Nick sighed.

"Well, to be fair, you pretty much _did_ forget your last birthday," Yuuki giggled.

"Only because I was getting my keester whipped into mashed potatoes by the floor 23 boss," Nick conceded. "That wasn't any sort of fun."

"And we didn't know when your birthday until recently, so there's that," Aiko responded. "So, when we figured it out, Yuu and I promised ourselves that we'd help you celebrate number seventeen."

"Wait, wait, is _this_ what you were being so hush-hush about for the past week?" Nick gasped as he realized the obvious implications now.

"Well, _duh_, silly," Lisbeth laughed. "Why do you think the term is called 'surprise party', after all?"

"When we heard that Yuuki and Aiko were planning a surprise party for your birthday, we just _had_ to help out," Sachi responded.

"To be completely honest, I'm surprised that you forgot it was your birthday today, Nick," Asuna admitted.

"Blame this damn game for that one," Nick sighed, only for Strea to immediately envelop Nick in one of her bone-crushing hugs.

"No sad things today!" Strea proclaimed. "Today is only about you being happy! So cast away those frowny faces!"

"Um, Strea, maybe you could do it without crushing him?" Aiko proclaimed, to which Strea complied and let Nick go.

"Okay, so I think the first order of business should be for the birthday boy to start cutting the cake so we can all chow down!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Actually, before we do that, there's something I think I gotta say first," Nick stated.

Yuuki was about to ask what that was when Nick walked over and pulled her into a hug.

"I don't think I could ever say it enough, Yuuki," Nick proclaimed. "But I'll say it as many times as I've got to. I _truly am_ grateful for everything you and Aiko have done for me."

"Awww, you," Yuuki giggled as she returned Nick's hug. "We're the ones who should be thanking _you_."

"After all, if you hadn't helped us out on the first day, who knows _what_ would have happened to us?" Aiko proclaimed, walking over to hug Nick from behind. "We honestly owe _you_ a lot more than you probably think."

"I'm just happy I was able to meet such stalwart friends that I can proudly stand beside as we keep fighting to escape this digital nightmare," Nick stated. "That goes for everyone here, by the way. As cliché as it would seem to espouse the 'power of friendship' like we're stuck in a shonen anime, I truly believe that us sticking together and pushing each other to grow stronger is the big reason we've all survived this long, and why I personally believe that we're all going to make it out of this with our lives."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, buddy!" Lisbeth proclaimed.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're all honorary members of the Sleeping Knights!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Pardon if I take us a bit off-track, but why exactly _did_ you name your guild the Sleeping Knights?" Sachi wondered.

"Well, half because we're all sleeping in the real world, but half because we're fighting like true knights and warriors so we can wake up again," Aiko explained. "It just seemed appropriate."

"Okay, let's stop beating around the bush!" Yuuki proclaimed. "Birthday boy, take out your magnificent gleaming sword and chop away at that cake!"

"As long as you don't call me a silly nickname like 'Star Warrior'," Nick replied as he unsheathed Star Cluster. "I'd think something along the lines of 'Star Guardian' would be more appropriate."

Nick leaned back, the others giving him room to work, before swinging madly to slash at the cake with Star Cluster, cutting it into multiple pieces so everyone could have a slice.

Sadly, the party wasn't able to last forever, as a few hours later, Nick, Yuuki, Aiko, and Silica had received messages that it was time for the boss raid.

"Well, it's been fun, peeps, but the Sleeping Knights have been called to the field of battle!" Yuuki proclaimed.

"We can always resume the festivities once we're done with the boss," Aiko stated. "I think Nick had a little too much fun with that word game."

"It just reminded me of something I used to do when I was a kid," Nick admitted.

As everyone who was heading for the boss fight prepared for the battle to come, Aiko suddenly pulled Nick outside.

"What's up, Aiko?" Nick asked.

"Okay, Nick, here's the skinny," Aiko replied when she was sure no one else could hear them. "I don't know if you realize that I figured it out, but... you're crushing hard on my sister, aren't you?"

Nick's entire face suddenly went red, much like it had back when he'd visited Lisbeth to place his order for Star Cluster.

"The face went red," Aiko giggled. "That means I nailed something, didn't I?"

"...I swear, if Lisbeth blabbed after she _promised_ not to say anything..." Nick growled.

"Relax, Nick, she didn't say a word to me," Aiko answered. "I kinda figured it out on my own."

"And that's the thing," Nick replied. "When Lisbeth caught me in the act, she advised that I talk to you about it first, since... I don't know how you'd feel about your sister dating someone..."

Aiko looked at Nick for a few seconds before stepping forward and hugging him tightly.

"You honestly worry too much," Aiko proclaimed. "Yes, I'm protective of Yuu, but that's because she's my sister and family sticks up for each other. But I also know that you would _never_ do anything to hurt her."

"Not a chance in _hell_, Aiko!" Nick exclaimed. "You know that..."

"Let me finish, 'kay?" Aiko responded. "I know what you were thinking, and just to get it out there? Yes, Nick, you have my blessing to ask Yuu out on a date. Just... try to be gentle about it, okay? Her last attempt at asking a boy out... didn't exactly go well, to put it mildly."

"I know how _that_ feels," Nick sighed. "When we make it out of here, I'm definitely going to give that guy a piece of my mind and maybe my boot, but for now..."

"So, any ideas?" Aiko asked.

"I've got a few lined up, but they're gonna wait for a bit," Nick replied. "If I want this first date to be special for Yuuki, then I gotta make sure it's perfect, like you guys did for my birthday."

At that moment, Aiko understood.

"Just promise you'll stay hush-hush for now, until I can get my plans worked out?" Nick asked.

"Consider it done," Aiko stated. "Since, after all, I _am_ the best secret-keeper in my family."

"Seems like it," Nick teased as he and Aiko walked back into the KoB headquarters so they could meet up with the rest of the Assault Team.

Already, ideas and plans were brewing in Nick's mind. He wanted the first date to be _perfect_.

After all, in his mind, Yuuki only deserved the best.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Yuuki: Oh, man, this food is soooooooooo _gooooooooooooooood_!

Aiko: Seriously, sis, you say that every time we go to Fortune's Market. And honestly, I think Asuna's cooking skills are almost equal to these guys.

Yuuki: I keep telling her she's gotta give these guys a chance!

Silica: You two are so silly sometimes.

Nick: Wait a minute. ...what the heck was that?

Aiko: Did you hear something, Nick?

Silica: I think it came from outside!

Yuuki: Ooh, boy. Silica, you might want to cover your eyes.

Nick: I think it's too late for that.

Aiko: Did... did that player just die?

Yuuki: I think the bigger question is, did that player just die _in a safe zone?!_

Nick: Well, it looks like we've got a mystery on our hands, next time on _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "A Crime Within the Walls"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


	7. A Crime Within the Walls

**On Today's Episode:** A normal lunch date turns bitter when a strange incident occurs, and another player falls victim and dies. The only problem with this, however? The player died in the safe zone of a town, which shouldn't be possible in this game. Knowing that panic and mayhem would erupt if word got out that a player died in the one place they're supposed to be safe, the Sleeping Knights decide to investigate further. Was this player truly murdered? Was it a system exploit? Or is something darker behind this unwarranted attack?

Episode 7: A Crime Within the Walls

_**April 22**__**nd**__**, 2024  
**__**12:41 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 59, Danac**_

"Ah, it's a _beautiful _day out here today!" Yuuki exclaimed as she once again stepped onto one of the many grassy fields that surrounded the city of Danac, main settlement of floor 59.

"That's exactly what you said yesterday, and the day before yesterday," Aiko laughed as she and Nick followed Yuuki into the field from the Teleport Gate Plaza. "It's perpetually nice weather on this floor, after all."

"I think she's still a little salty about the madness we had to endure in the Thunder Plains," Nick admitted, referring to the field dungeon on floor 58, which, true to its name, was riddled with constant lightning strikes, making even battles with normal enemies frustrating due to random lightning strikes occurring at the worst possible times.

"Hey, after that nonsense, I'll take what I can get," Yuuki quipped. "Now, onto our plans for today! After lunch, I say we hit the West Mountain so we can get some training in. I have a feeling we're gonna need it, especially considering that the floor bosses are steadily getting harder and harder."

"Why the West Mountain, specifically?" Aiko wondered.

"There's an _amazing _grinding spot there that I discovered the last time you and I went there," Yuuki answered. "And I swear, I'm going to hit level 80 by the time the Clearers find this floor's boss!"

Currently, both Yuuki and Aiko were level 79, while Nick was level 78.

"Should we invite Silica to this one?" Aiko wondered.

"Wait, isn't she back in the Hill of Memories?" Nick quipped, checking his friend list to see that Silica was indeed currently traveling through the Hill of Memories on floor 48. "Sounds like she's been doing a lot of grinding lately, and all by herself at that."

"I'm proud of her," Yuuki stated. "Remember, she was always going on about how she wanted to get stronger so she could _do_ the protecting instead of others doing it for her."

Nick couldn't help but smile at the fact that Silica had just reached level 60 through all her training.

"Okay, so where are we going for lunch, then?" Nick asked.

"Where do you think?" Yuuki giggled, to which Nick and Aiko exchanged amused glances.

_**April 22**__**nd**__**, 2024  
**__**1:03 PM Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 27, Dahngrest  
**__**Fortune's Market Headquarters**_

"You never get tired of this place, do you, Yuuki?" Nick quipped as the three Sleeping Knights happily munched on their lunch.

"Nope, never _ever_!" Yuuki giggled. "Honestly, I really hope there's a Fortune's Market equivalent IRL, because I am _so_ booking it there once we're out of this game!"

"Just like you, huh, Yuu?" Aiko proclaimed. "With how much you gush about Fortune's Market, I swear you could fill up a whole blog about it."

"Hmmm... food blogs, huh?" Yuuki quipped.

Nick and Aiko glanced at each other with a look that clearly screamed "we've created a monster".

"Hey, the plus is that it would draw a lot more attention to Fortune's Market," Yuuki admitted. "These guys and gals are some of _the best_ cooks in this entire game, and they need all the free press they can get!"

Nick's attention was then drawn to the opening front doors, and who should walk in but Lisbeth herself.

"I should have known I'd find you guys down here," Lisbeth laughed.

"Is it really that obvious?" Yuuki replied.

"Say, Lis, you look a little tired," Aiko noted. "Did you just wake up or something?"

"Well, it's a little silly, but..." Lisbeth giggled, a hand behind her head as she recalled the events. "I was exhausted after pulling an all-nighter for a client, and, well, I didn't really get much sleep because of it. I wanted to fall asleep right there in the fields."

"Don't tell me you _actually_ did that," Nick quipped.

"Actually, I did," Lisbeth admitted. "And when I woke up a couple hours later, Asuna was sitting right next to me, making sure no one could pull anything dumb or sneaky on me just because I was asleep."

"Wait, I thought the Inner Area barrier prevented anything like that from happening in the safe zones?" Yuuki wondered.

"Well..." Aiko sighed. "It's actually an exploit some numbnuts found in the Duel system. The general name is Sleep Player Killing. It's when a player manipulates a sleeping player into accepting a duel in their sleep and killing them without repercussion."

"WHAT?!" Yuuki shouted. "That's actually possible?! You'd think Kayaba would have patched that crapola out by now!"

"Heck if I know how that guy's mind works," Aiko answered. "That's probably why Asuna was keeping watch for you, so no one could pull that kind of nonsense."

"Even so, I'm usually a pretty light sleeper, so if someone tries to touch my hand when I'm dozing, I'm most likely gonna wake up and pound the offender into mashed potatoes!" Lisbeth proclaimed.

"...huh. That's an image," Nick stated.

"It'd probably be some hipster wearing a 'charisma-boosting hat', knowing our luck," Yuuki teased.

Aiko's planned reaction to that was cut off by the sound of slamming doors. Nick was the first to look up and see a player carrying a katana, looking like he was out of breath from running a marathon.

"Dude, you okay?" Yuuki asked.

"Y-You're... you're the Sleeping Knights, right?" the katana wielder gasped.

"Right on the money," Yuuki proclaimed.

"Good, because we need you to come to Marten right away! Something _really_ bad is going down there!" the katana wielder exclaimed.

"Bad of what kind?" Aiko wondered.

"Trust me, you'll see," the katana wielder replied before dashing back out of Fortune's Market.

"This doesn't sound any kind of good, you guys," Yuuki proclaimed. "We'd better go check it out."

With that, Nick, Yuuki and Aiko rushed out of Fortune's Market (after Yuuki paid for their meals, of course) and rushed towards the Teleport Gate Plaza.

"_Teleport: Marten!"_ Yuuki exclaimed.

_**April 22**__**nd**__**, 2024  
**__**1:35 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 57, Marten**_

"Okay, okay, we're here, we're here! Stop dragging me, sword dude!" Yuuki exclaimed as the katana wielder kept pulling her towards the source of the disturbance.

"All right, what exactly is the problem you need our help with?" Aiko asked. The katana wielder pointed upwards, towards one of the inns not too far from their current position. The Sleeping Knights looked up in that direction, and all gasped in shock at what they were seeing.

A heavily armored player was hanging by a rope from the roof of a church, and he was impaled by a large, red, and spiky spear. It appeared the player had been pushed off the roof after being impaled.

Before Nick could make a move to help the player out, the player exploded into a cloud of glowing polygons, leaving his now discarded armor to fall to the ground with a loud clank.

"Um... guys?" Yuuki gasped. _"Did that player just die?!"_

"I think the real question we need to ask is, did that player just die inside a _safe zone_?!" Aiko wondered. "Towns are supposed to be the _one place_ in the game you're supposed to be _safe_ from all this murder stuff, and now..."

"You think it might have been a duel gone wrong?" Yuuki asked. "That's really the only way a player can lose health in a town area, right?"

"I'm not so sure," Nick answered. "There'd be a message stating the winner if it _was_ a duel, and those signs are kinda hard to miss."

Aiko glanced back up at where the player had died, a grim expression highlighting her face. "We have a problem," Aiko proclaimed.

A loud scream caught the group's attention. Yuuki looked over to their left and saw a girl about their age with slightly curly, deep blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a light blue tunic with a chest guard, knee-length brown shorts and dark leggings.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Aiko asked.

"D-Di-did... did Kains just _die_?!" the woman shuddered, struggling to form coherent sentences.

"Wait, you know him?" Yuuki wondered.

"He... he was my guildmate," the woman replied, still trying to compose herself. "We'd just had dinner not too long ago, and now I come back to find him dead?!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Yuuki cut in, putting her hands on the woman's shoulder to keep her calm so she wouldn't fly off the handle. "We're going to find a way to fix this, promise. And if we find out who did this, they're going to pay _big time_. So, just stay calm, 'kay?"

"What's your name, miss?" Aiko asked.

"Y-Yolko," the woman responded.

"All right, then, Yolko, is there anything you can tell us about Kains?" Nick queried. "You know, anything that might lead us to who shanked him?"

"I really wish I knew why someone would want to kill him," Yolko answered. "I wish I had more information for you..."

"Well, you did say that he was your guildmate," Yuuki responded. "Maybe someone in that guild kinda... lost it? With all the nuts running around these days, you can never be too careful."

"Speaking of which, we should probably get you to an inn, for your own safety," Aiko stated. "We've got some investigating to do, after all."

"Please, be careful, okay?" Yolko asked. "I have no clue if the killer's still out there..."

After helping Yolko check into the nearby inn, Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko made their way to the area where the player had died, now noticing that the rope and spear used in the attack were lying on the ground.

"Oof, it definitely looks pretty sinister," Yuuki quipped. "But is there anything we can _do_ with these? I'm pretty sure my Appraisal skill isn't high enough to decipher this..."

"Yeah, and I think Lisbeth is busy with other customers right now, so that's out of the question," Nick answered. "After all, I'd rather as few people as possible know about this incident..."

Suddenly, Aiko smiled. "I think I know someone we can go see," Aiko proclaimed.

_**April 22**__**nd**__**, 2024  
**__**2:16 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 50, Algade**_

"HEY, AGIL!" Aiko exclaimed once the trio had made their way to Agil's item shop on floor 50.

"Well, well, if it isn't miss older sister," Agil laughed. "I haven't seen you since floor thirty."

"Been too long, honestly," Aiko laughed. "You still making a living inflating your prices?"

"Hey, 'buy cheap and sell cheap' is my motto," Agil teased.

The Sleeping Knights knew that Agil's seeming money fetish was actually just a front, as even though he made a lot of money from his exploits, he usually used most of his income to support the players on the lower floors who were still having trouble adjusting.

"Good for you," Yuuki giggled. "Actually, Agil, the reason we're here is because... well, we need your opinion on some things."

"I don't know if you've heard, but some crazy things happened on floor 57, and we wanted you to inspect the evidence," Nick replied, placing the rope and the spear they'd collected from the crime scene onto Agil's desk.

"Evidence, you say?" Agil quipped, picking up both items and checking them out. "Well, I can say that this rope is a very common item, something you can easily get in an item shop. But this spear is apparently a player-made item, belonging to someone named... 'Grimlock'."

"Looks like we have our first suspect," Yuuki proclaimed. "...hmmmm..."

"You got a theory, sis?" Aiko asked.

"I'm wondering if someone might have gotten to Grimlock first," Yuuki replied. "After all, someone from Yolko's guild might want revenge on whoever did this, so... should we make a quick stop on floor one, just to be sure?"

"Sounds like a good idea, Yuuki," Nick stated. "Always explore every avenue you can when it comes to a murder mystery. Almost reminds me of the ones my dad used to read all the time..."

_**April 22**__**nd**__**, 2024  
**__**2:31 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 1, The Town of Beginnings**_

Nick, Yuuki and Aiko stepped into the Black Iron Palace to inspect the Monument of Life, a place that had originally been the Room of Resurrection, the place where players would respawn after death, before Kayaba had turned SAO into a death game. Now, the monuments held the names of all ten thousand SAO players, the ones who had already died having their names crossed out along with the time, day, and cause of their death.

Yuuki was the first to start scanning the monument for Grimlock's name, only to find it near the middle of her area.

"Nope-ity nope, Grimlock's still around," Yuuki quipped.

"And here's the confirmation of Kains' death," Aiko replied, pointing to that specific name.

"So, Grimlock is our first suspect," Nick proclaimed. "But it doesn't seem like there's anything we can do right now. You guys wanna teleport back home and pick this up in the morning?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Yuuki responded.

However, when they exited the Black Iron Palace, the Sleeping Knights suddenly found themselves accosted by several armored players.

"Okay, what's with the armor brigade?" Yuuki asked.

"More specifically, what is the Divine Dragon Alliance doing here?" Aiko wondered, suddenly uneasy.

_Yeah, these guys, the Divine Dragon Alliance, is one of the top Clearers guilds in Sword Art Online at the moment. Problem is, methinks they're getting a bit too big for their britches. Considering they've got some kind of grudge against the Knights of the Blood Oath for being the strongest guild in the game, it seems like they're the types who would do anything to get more powerful, even insisting that they get the Last Attack Bonus when it comes to the floor bosses. Honestly, what does it matter who defeats the boss as long as we __**defeat the boss**__, right?_

"We heard you were investigating Kains' death," Schmitt, the current leader of the guild, proclaimed. "And we request that you hand over the murder weapon right away."

"Hold on, why do _you_ guys want it so badly?" Yuuki protested.

"That's really none of your business, _Zekken_," one of the players retorted.

Before Yuuki could start fuming over being insulted, Nick reluctantly took the spear out of his inventory and stabbed it into the ground so Schmitt could collect it.

"You might want to look into Grimlock," Nick stated, which caused Schmitt to gasp in shock.

"W-wait, how did you..." Schmitt stuttered before composing himself. "Never you mind. If I were you, I wouldn't investigate any further. You may be in over your head."

The Divine Dragon Alliance all headed back towards the Teleport Gate Plaza, leaving Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko to ponder what had just happened.

"Snooty little _jerk_," Yuuki growled. "Does he even know who I _am_?!"

"I don't think that's important right now, sis," Aiko replied. "What's more important is that we might have just found our second suspect."

"Yeah, why was he so insistent that we stay away from this case?" Yuuki wondered. "Does he have something invested in this?"

"And the rabbit hole just goes deeper," Nick sighed.

_**April 23**__**rd**__**, 2024  
**__**9:00 A.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 57, Marten**_

"He really said that to you?" Asuna gasped as the Sleeping Knights relayed the story of their investigations the previous day. They were waiting for Yolko to show up so they could ask for any information she could give.

"Yeah, he was really rude about it," Yuuki sighed. "But more to the point, we've got two suspects in this case now, and even though I'm not really convinced that Schmitt is our murderer, we _are_ sure that there's gotta be some kind of connection between our two suspects and our victim. We're just trying to figure out what exactly that connection _is_..."

"Hey, I was actually wondering something," Asuna stated. "You said that Kains had a Damage Over Time effect when he died, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Aiko asked.

"How would that work if someone entered a town or anywhere with an Inner Area barrier with that effect active?" Asuna posited.

"You know, it's worth a shot," Nick quipped. "Let's do a little experiment before Yolko gets here."

The group crossed a short distance to the field area outside Marten so Nick could draw Star Cluster and lightly poke his hand with the blade, causing a Damage Over Time effect to slowly drain his health. Nick stepped back into Marten, and the DOT effect instantly canceled out.

"Welp, I was right," Nick quipped. "The Inner Area barrier instantly nullifies any status effects when you enter, so that theory's right out the window..."

"Guess all we can do now is wait for Yolko to arrive," Asuna replied. "Hopefully that'll give us something else to go on..."

_**April 23**__**rd**__**, 2024  
**__**10:15 A.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 27, Dahngrest  
**__**Fortune's Market Headquarters**_

"Thank you all so much for meeting with me again," Yolko proclaimed once everyone was seated inside the restaurant. "It does seem like an odd place for a meeting..."

"Short story, Yuuki _loves_ this place, so we figure it'd work," Aiko giggled. "We come here _at least_ twice a week."

"But, while we wait for our delectable delicacies, we wanted to ask you about your friend," Yuuki replied. "Apparently, he's connected in some way to two players named Grimlock and Schmitt. Did you know them, by any chance?"

"Yes, we used to be part of a guild called the Golden Apple," Yolko answered.

"Did anything happen in that guild recently?" Nick asked, despite noticing that Yolko suddenly looked uneasy. "If Kains was part of that guild, maybe something went horribly wrong."

Yolko took a few seconds to prepare herself, as it wasn't exactly something she liked reliving, before telling the story in question.

"It was about six months ago," Yolko stated. "My guild, the Golden Apple, was hunting in a sub-dungeon around the middle floors when we acquired an exceptionally rare item."

"Oh, I think I can see where _this_ is going," Nick quipped.

"It was a ring that boosted agility that we acquired from a rare lizard monster," Yolko continued. "Though we were divided on what to do with the ring, the eight of us eventually agreed to sell the ring and split the profits from it. Our leader went to the frontlines to sell the ring at an auction, since it was too valuable to be sold on the floors we were on."

Yuuki and Aiko both glanced at each other with an uneasy look, having guessed what Yolko was about to say.

"But... she didn't return on schedule, and none of us could reach her or find her," Yolko continued. "We visited the Monument of Life, and just as we feared, she'd been killed the night she went to the higher floors. And then, the guild fell into chaos, because everyone began suspecting each other of being our leader's killer."

"Because whoever killed her had to have known about the ring, right?" Asuna realized.

"Yes, and it eventually led to the collapse of the guild," Yolko explained. "Three of us had voted to keep the ring. Myself, Kains, and Schmitt. Our sub-leader Grimlock was actually our leader's husband, but we haven't heard from him since she died."

All of a sudden, Yolko looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "Now that I think about it... it's very possible that Grimlock could have killed him... oh, _god_... could Kains and I be next?!" Yolko gasped.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about a thing," Aiko stated, reaching out to pay Yolko on the shoulder, thankfully getting her to calm down a bit. "As long as we're here, nothing's gonna get you. That's a Sleeping Knights _promise_."

Sometime later, after securing Yolko's stay in a nearby inn for a couple days, the Sleeping Knights all re-convened outside of Fortune's Market in order to discuss the next step in their investigation.

"Okay, you two, what do you think we should do now?" Nick asked.

"Well, I think it might be pretty tough to find Grimlock with just the three of us," Aiko stated. "So how about we figure out exactly _how_ Kains died? I figure if we can narrow down how exactly he kicked the bucket, it'll be easier to pin down the culprit."

"But who among all of us is _that_ well-versed in the game mechanics to figure that out?" Yuuki wondered.

Asuna suddenly gasped out loud when she realized that _she_ knew someone like that.

_**April 23**__**rd**__**, 2024  
**__**11:20 A.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 55, Algade**_

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Commander Heathcliff," Asuna stated as Heathcliff approached them.

"What exactly did you wish to speak with me about, Asuna?" Heathcliff wondered.

The Sleeping Knights explained everything that they had learned over the past day, along with their own theories about what might have happened.

"If I might make a suggestion," Heathcliff proclaimed. "I would recommend not completely relying on secondhand information sources. There may have been another reason why the guild disbanded because of the ring."

"I understand, commander, but we're just trying to gather as much info as we can," Aiko replied. "We've gotta fit these pieces together before someone else gets shanked and people start panicking."

"Do you think we should question Schmitt?" Asuna asked. "Maybe we could get a second opinion about the incident and find some new information."

"Sounds like a plan, Asuna!" Yuuki proclaimed, leaping over to hug Asuna. "You're as sharp a cookie as ever!"

"Aw, stop..." Asuna giggled.

_**April 23**__**rd**__**, 2024  
**__**2:07 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 56, Pani**_

"And just what exactly are _you_ three doing here?" a guard at the entrance of the Divine Dragon Alliance headquarters asked as the Sleeping Knights approached.

"Listen, armor boy, we're not here to pick a fight," Yuuki proclaimed. "We're here because we want to speak with Schmitt."

"And what business do you have with him?" the guard responded.

"Ooh, boy, methinks this is gonna get ugly," Aiko groaned.

"At ease, soldier," Schmitt proclaimed, having just walked up to see what all the commotion was about. "What are you all here for?"

"As you can probably tell, we're still investigating what happened to Kains," Aiko explained. "We wanted to ask you about Grimlock, since he's currently our prime suspect for the murder."

"I can see you're going to be stubborn about this," Schmitt replied.

"Well, excuse us if we'd rather no one else get shanked by this illusionary avenger," Yuuki stated.

"Well, Grimlock used to frequent an NPC restaurant around here," Schmitt answered. "But..."

"There's always a 'but', isn't there?" Nick quipped.

"I'll only tell you the name of the place if you allow me to speak with Yolko," Schmitt responded.

"Guess we really don't have much of a choice, do we?" Aiko admitted as she swiped through her menu to send a friend message to Yolko.

Sometime later, back in the inn on Marten, Schmitt began speaking about the murders of Kains and Griselda, the Golden Apple's leader.

"This just keeps getting crazier and crazier," Yolko admitted, leaning against the windowsill. "Is it _our_ fault that Kains is dead? Could this have been the killer's revenge for us being so selfish when it came to that ring?"

"Don't talk like that, Yolko," Schmitt proclaimed. "It could have just been some nut trying to take advantage of the situation."

Before Yolko could respond, though, her body suddenly seized up and her expression became one of pain and disbelief.

Yuuki was the first to notice that a black, barbed throwing dagger had embedded itself in Yolko's back, and Aiko jumped out of her seat to help, but it was too late.

Yolko fell out of the window and down towards the street below, her avatar disintegrating into a cloud of glowing polygons before she hit the ground.

"D-Did... what just happened?!" Schmitt gasped.

As Nick moved to investigate, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. A figure in a black-hooded robe was standing on the rooftop of a nearby building.

"I think we found our killer!" Yuuki shouted.

"Don't think you're getting away, you son of a bitch!" Nick exclaimed as he jumped through the open window to land on the nearby rooftop and start chasing the hooded figure down.

As Nick inched closer and closer to the figure, the figure clutched a Teleport Crystal and prepared to use it, prompting Nick to toss three throwing picks towards the figure. Sadly, the weapons bounced harmlessly off of the figure thanks to the Inner Area barrier.

The five o'clock bells began to chime as the figure activated the Teleport Crystal, obscuring the name of the destination as the figure disappeared.

"Crapbaskets," Nick growled as he doubled back to retrieve the throwing dagger that had killed Yolko before returning to the inn.

"Did he escape?" Aiko asked.

"Jerk used the bells to hide his destination," Nick groaned.

Schmitt, on the other hand, now looked absolutely terrified. "Oh, hell... I know what this is!" Schmitt shouted. "Griselda's ghost is haunting me now! That figure looked almost exactly like her!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Nick responded. "Now, you promised you'd tell us the name of that restaurant."

"And, just as a bonus, can you also give us the names of the Golden Apple members?" Yuuki asked. "That way, we can see who's still alive among them and hopefully pin down another suspect before someone _else_ dies."

Though still agitated and scared, Schmitt complied, divulging the information they needed. After escorting Schmitt back to the Divine Dragon Alliance Headquarters, the Sleeping Knights all set off, hoping they could unravel this mystery before it was too late.

_**April 23**__**rd**__**, 2024  
**__**6:07 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 20, Soleil**_

"Okay, so what's the game plan, girls?" Nick asked as he, Yuuki, and Aiko sat down in their rented room. They'd checked in to an inn on Soleil, the main settlement of floor twenty, nearby the restaurant in question, in hopes of catching the assassin in the act.

"There's one problem right now," Aiko admitted. "We have no idea what Grimlock even looks like, do we?"

"Oof, you're right," Yuuki stated. "How exactly do we get around _that_ little roadblock?"

"I was thinking that I'd challenge any potential suspects to a duel," Nick replied. "That way, the system would display their name and tip us off."

"Yeah, but let's actually worry about _that_ when we find a suspect, 'kay?" Aiko proclaimed.

"Hey, you guys, I was actually wondering something," Yuuki stated. "How would rare drops actually be talked about in SAO? After all, there really aren't any logs of that kind of thing, right?"

"Good point, Yuu," Aiko responded. "Let's look at this from another angle. Grimlock and Griselda were actually married in-game, right? And that means they share an inventory space, which would make it literally impossible to hide things from each other."

"Wait, doesn't that mean that the player who first got the ring from that monster can't be our killer?" Nick asked. "Since they didn't exactly keep the ring a secret, after all..."

"Aw, crapbaskets, does that mean we're going around in circles?!" Yuuki exclaimed as Nick read the list of names that Schmitt had given him.

Just as he was about to put it back into his inventory, something caught his eye that he hadn't before.

"What's up, Nick?" Yuuki asked. "Did you figure something out?"

"Oh, hell _yes_ I did," Nick proclaimed, jumping to his feet. "There actually _isn't_ any possible way to commit murder in an Inner Area. We've just been looking at this incident the wrong way!"

"Really?" Aiko quipped. "Well, tell us what you figured out."

Meanwhile, back at the Divine Dragon Alliance headquarters, Schmitt, despite any attempts to project an outward air of confidence, was freaking out over the possibilities of what the killer could do. After all, what good were even _his_ defensive capabilities against a murderer who could bypass those defenses?

"She's going to kill me in my sleep," Schmitt gasped. "She's going to murder _me_ when I have no way to defend myself... unless... unless I beg for forgiveness... that's my only hope..."

_**April 23**__**rd**__**, 2024  
**__**10:07 P.M. Aincrad Time  
**__**Floor 19, Ralberg  
**__**Hill of the Cross**_

Schmitt nervously approached the hill outside of Ralberg, where a makeshift memorial for Griselda could be seen.

"Griselda... I... I'm here to confess my sins," Schmitt proclaimed, only to gasp in shock when a hooded figure approached him.

"Is this the truth?" the figure asked as it pulled out a barbed estoc.

Schmitt looked like he was about to collapse from fright when another hooded figure emerged from the shadows.

"Who was responsible?" the second figure proclaimed.

"A-All right, all right, I'll confess everything!" Schmitt shrieked. "I found a Corridor Crystal and a piece of paper in my belt pouch, and it told me to infiltrate Griselda's room and set it as the destination. I left it in the guild's shared storage, and set half of the ring's selling price as a reward. The day after she died, I found the reward money on my bed. That's all I know, I swear! Please, Griselda, please spare my life!"

A click resounded, and Schmitt recoiled, thinking that the two hooded figures were about to kill him, only for the first figure to lower her hood and reveal that it was Yolko.

"And just like that, we have a confession," Yolko proclaimed.

"Y-Yolko, you're still alive?!" Schmitt gasped. "But... does that mean..."

The second figure lowered his hood to reveal a still-alive Kains, or rather Caynz.

"We really respected Griselda," Caynz stated. "Why would you do something like this?!"

"I don't know who actually killed her, I swear to god!" Schmitt exclaimed. "I have no idea who wrote me that note, but I used that reward money to pass the requirements for joining the Divine Dragon Alliance! That's all I know, I mean it!"

Before Yolko or Caynz could deduce who had sent that memo, Schmitt suddenly gasped in pain before falling down to the ground, a throwing dagger buried in his back that was tipped with paralysis poison.

"Well, well, look who we have here," Johnny Black laughed as he stepped out of the shadows, his subordinates following behind him. Red Eyed XaXa grabbed Yolko and Caynz and held his own Estoc to their throats while taking the one they'd used earlier.

"A fine addition to my collection," XaXa laughed.

"You're a pretty high rank within the Divine Dragon Alliance, aren't you, Schmitt?" PoH proclaimed, sneering at their captives.

"I have an idea on how we can let this play out," Johnny cackled. "How about we have them fight each other to the death, and the survivor can live?"

"Aren't you going to kill the survivor anyway?" PoH wondered. "That's what you did last time we played that game."

"Don't tell them that, you idiot!" Johnny shouted. "We can't actually play that game if you just blab about it!"

Johnny shook his head and walked up to Schmitt, raising his weapon. "Well, I guess this is the end of your story," Johnny proclaimed. "It was nice knowing you."

Suddenly, footsteps began approaching fast.

Before XaXa could inform his boss about the approaching threat, Yuuki had already slipped in and slapped the Estoc out of his hand before kicking him in the back, allowing Yolko and Caynz to retreat to a safe distance.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Johnny," Nick growled as Yuuki and Aiko stood by his side, their weapons ready.

"Ah, we meet again, Sleeping Knights," Johnny proclaimed. "What brings you here?"

"What do you _think_, coffin-stuffer?!" Yuuki shouted.

"But you might receive _some _mercy if you beat it now," Aiko stated. "Because the Clearers are on their way, and you _know_ you don't stand a chance against them."

To his annoyance, Johnny had to concede that point and ordered his subordinates to retreat.

"Yup, he nope-d out quickly," Yuuki quipped.

"Hey, Caynz, I gotta commend you for your fake death," Nick stated. "It actually had me fooled for a while... until I remembered something extremely important."

"Yeah, Yolko, we figured out that you two were alive this whole time," Aiko explained. "It took us a bit to figure out, but even though the Anti-Criminal Code of the Inner Area prevents health from decreasing in a town, that _doesn't_ apply to object durability."

"And the animation for object destruction and player death are extremely similar, what with the big cloud of glowing polygons," Yuuki stated. "Now, stop me if I'm wrong here. You two used this to your advantage by stabbing yourselves through your equipment _outside_ the Inner Area, then moved into town and used a Teleport Crystal _the exact instant_ your armor or clothes exploded, to make it _look_ like you were murdered. Did I get it right?"

Yuuki didn't need an answer to that, as Yolko and Caynz's stunned silence was all the answer she needed.

"And here's another thing that threw us off initially," Nick continued. "Your name is _Caynz_, not _Kains_. That name belonged to an entirely unrelated player, but you used that name for your cover, since the Monument of Life doesn't say when a player dies. So, you used that to create, in Yuuki's words, an 'illusionary avenger' to frighten Griselda's killer into revealing their identity, and Schmitt just happened to be your primary suspect."

"So, you scared Schmitt into seeking forgiveness at Griselda's memorial, even though we were worried you were actually going to kill him," Aiko proclaimed. "But Yolko actually registered as our friend, despite the possibility of it blowing your whole plan, as a sort of apology."

"Wow," Caynz replied. "You're actually pretty good detectives."

"But that still leaves one unanswered question," Yolko wondered. "If Schmitt wasn't the one who _actually_ killed Griselda... who _did_?"

"Oh, that's simple," Yuuki replied. "You two know that players who are married share inventory, right?"

"Let us spell it out for you, then," Aiko proclaimed. "The one who stole the ring, _and_ the one who called Laughing Coffin here to kill _you_ guys... is none other than Grimlock himself!"

Before Yolko or Caynz could refute that claim, Grimlock was brought out from behind the large tree by Asuna, Lambent Light aimed for his back.

"G-Grimlock?!" Caynz exclaimed. "What the hell is _this _all about?!"

"I don't know what this is all about," Grimlock answered. "I never had that ring, despite our shared storage, and the only reason that the ring materialized as an object is because she had it equipped when she died!"

"Sorry, Grimlock, but I'm not buying that," Yolko responded. "She couldn't have equipped the ring, because she was already wearing her marriage ring and the Golden Apple guild ring."

Yolko stepped over to Griselda's grave and started digging, eventually uncovering the Eternal Storage Trinket that still held the rings in question.

"Now answer the question, Grimlock," Yolko growled. "Why did you kill her just to sell that rare ring?!"

"Fine, you want the truth?" Grimlock growled. "This game was changing Griselda. While I was afraid to step out and get my hands dirty, she was slowly starting to get more independent, forming the Golden Apple and enlisting even more members. If this game was cleared, the wife that I loved was going to disappear, forever out of my reach. I even thought she was going to divorce me if and when we made it out of SAO. So, if I couldn't have my wife, I'd settle for the memory of her. And who could blame me?!"

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko all stared at Grimlock like he'd lost his mind.

"...you're _sick_," Yuuki growled. "Your wife wants to get stronger, so you _kill_ her?! Do you have _any idea_ how unbelievably _stupid_ that sounds?!"

"That doesn't sound like love to me," Aiko proclaimed. "It sounds more like you just wanted to _possess_ her."

Surprisingly, those words seemed to actually get through to Grimlock, and he gasped in shock before collapsing to his knees in utter defeat.

Schmitt, having just recovered from his paralysis, walked up to yank Grimlock to his feet. "I'll decide his punishment," Schmitt proclaimed.

While this was happening, Yolko and Caynz re-buried the Eternal Storage Trinket before turning to the Sleeping Knights. "Thank you all for helping us uncover the truth," Yolko stated. "Sorry we had to deceive you in order to do it..."

"Hey, it was practically the perfect crime," Yuuki admitted. "I'm honestly impressed."

Yolko and Caynz bowed to the Sleeping Knights before following Schmitt and Grimlock back to Ralberg.

"Whew, man, am I glad that nonsense is over," Yuuki sighed. "It's exhausting being super-sleuths sometimes."

"You gotta admit it was worth it to find justice," Aiko quipped.

"True on all counts," Yuuki answered.

Asuna looked back at Griselda's grave before turning back to Nick. "Hey, Nick, I had a question for you," Asuna proclaimed. "Hypothetical, of course. Say you were married to someone, but you discovered a new side to them that you never knew about before. Would that change your opinion of them?"

Nick took a couple seconds to think it over before he gave his answer.

"To tell the truth? I'd probably love them even more, since they showed me a side I never expected," Nick answered.

"That's such a 'you' answer, Nick," Aiko giggled.

"H-Hey, I thought long and hard on that answer!" Nick sputtered. "Don't diss it!"

Yuuki, however, was stunned with disbelief, only pointing towards the tree. Nick and Aiko looked over, only to see a transparent image of Griselda looking their way.

"We're gonna beat this game," Nick proclaimed. "For your sake, Griselda, and everyone else's. That's a _promise_."

Griselda simply smiled before vanishing completely.

"Okay, I think we should get out of here now before any _more_ ghosts show up," Asuna proclaimed.

"Wait, Asuna, are you afraid of ghosts?" Yuuki wondered. Asuna's response was a surprised squeak.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle as Asuna feebly tried to deny her fear of ghosts, with Yuuki teasing and prodding her the whole way back to Ralberg.

While Asuna and Yuuki teased each other and Aiko played the moderator so Asuna wouldn't faint, Nick went back to the idea he was planning for next month.

He wanted this to be special, after all.

Since Aiko had figured out his crush on Yuuki, Nick had decided he wanted to make their first date one to remember, so Aiko had been helping him with ideas.

And what was the date Nick had settled on?

May 23rd. Yuuki and Aiko's birthday.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Next time on Sword Art Online: Twin Memory..._

Yuuki: Wow, I can't believe my birthday's almost here!

Aiko: It's _my_ birthday, too, ya goof.

Yuuki: I know, silly. No way in heck I'd leave my twin sister out of the celebrations!

Asuna: Speaking of celebrations, do either of you know where Nick went? I don't want to just look at my friends list to find him.

Yuuki: Hey, yeah, what's Nick up to?

Nick: Hey, Yuuki, Aiko, I had a question for the both of you.

Aiko: Shoot.

Nick: Um... who's Merida?

Yuuki: ...

Nick: Oh, crapbaskets, I didn't say something wrong, did I?

Aiko: It's just a long story, Nick. I promise you'll know everything on the next episode of _Sword Art Online: Twin Memory_, "Sister's Prayer"!

Nick, Yuuki, and Aiko: This may be a game, but it's not something you play!


End file.
